HR 7r Vorinia's tale
by slytherinsal
Summary: month 9-2522 to 8-15-2524. Vorinia, shocked by how much her spoilt behaviour is despised by dragonfolk works on improving her behavour with the aid of a surprising friend in the hopes of one day returning to the Weyr. It will be a long painful journey.
1. Chapter 1

_A/N If you have not read__'Kaili the Whisperer' and 'New Girls of High Reaches' this will make less sense to you though I guess it's easy enough to pick up what's going on without reading the previous references and short story about Vorinia._

**Chapter 1**

Vorinia had been given most furiously to think by the straight talking – following a good spanking – she had received from Bronze Rider D're for her behaviour in the Weyr.

Part of her wanted to hate him and discard all that he had said; but somewhere deep down in her spoiled little soul she recognised that he had actually dealt relatively kindly with her for her impudence and ill temper; and that he had spoken many a home truth.

No-one likes to hear the truth about themselves when they have behaved badly; and Vorinia was no exception. But what made her burn with shame more than the embarrassment of being told off was the thought that everyone thought her a spoiled brat – and with reason – and hated her accordingly. Or worse, laughed scornfully about her.

What had perhaps prepared the way for D're's straight talking was the obvious friendly camaraderie between the other female candidates; Vorinia had never has a friend in her life and she was frankly envious.

It was hard going explaining to her father that she had withdrawn voluntarily from candidateship almost immediately; and to stop him rushing to the Weyr to demand that she be taken back! Only by telling him that she realised just in time that she was not ready, not grown up enough to contemplate facing Thread did she finally manage to convince him.

It had been an exhausting day all round; and Vorinia took herself to her room, daintily furnished, where she lived in solitary splendour.

Her personal drudge waited warily.

"Josis, am I such a bitch?" asked Vorinia.

"Madam?" Josis asked tonelessly.

"Am I nasty too you? So nasty that you're almost cowering?" said Vorinia looking at Josis for perhaps the first time. She saw a girl much her own build but a little taller her brown hair tied up in a scarf with green eyes looking too large in a rather gaunt face. The eyes were lowered quickly after having looked up in surprise.

"Madam is my employer: I always try to do her bidding" said Josis.

There was even so a touch of resentment in the voice. Vorinia stamped her foot impatiently.

"Josis, tell me what you really think of me! I order you to! And I promise I shall not punish you for speaking the truth" she added hastily.

Josis kept her face wooden; she was a turn or two older than Vorinis and had been her personal drudge since she, Josis, had been orphaned at thirteen turns old.

"Madam, I do my work for you as best I may. I am not paid to have opinions" the girl decided that this was the easiest way out of a dilemma. To promise not to punish? Why, if she told the little brat what she truly thought she'd surely find ways to punish, even if she didn't give a whipping straight away; or would at least remember and punish more horrible for real or imagined slights at a later date.

Vorinia caught the flash of angry contempt in her maid's eyes as she spoke her colourless piece; and burst into tears.

"It's true then! Everyone DOES hate me because I'm so horrid!" she sobbed. She threw herself down on the bed and howled as if her heart was breaking. And in some ways it was!

Josis hesitated; then sat down beside her mistress and put a tentative arm around her shoulders. She had never seen Vorinis like this! Crying for effect, yes; tears of frustrated anger, frequently; but never such desolation! Josis had suffered much at Vorinia's quick hands – but this was scarcely the Vorinia she knew!

The younger girl turned into the embrace and clung desperately to Josis.

"Oh Josis, I've slapped you and had you whipped and – and I'm not even sure why, and oh-oh-oh!" she howled again.

"Madam has a hot temper and Madam's father has never seen fit to teach Madam to curb it" Josis ventured.

"B-Bronze Rider D're s-said I had a voice that could cut paper and break glass" said Vorinia "And that I richly deserved walloping, and that if I couldn't learn to contain my anger terrible things could happen….and other things too."

"Sounds like you don't need me to tell you then. Madam" said Josis.

"I – I hoped it was only because I – I had a – a tantrum at his sister" said Vorinia in a small voice "That made him madder at me….. Josis, I – I don't know HOW to measure up, how to BE nice! Oh teach me!"

"Do you really want to learn? Or is it going to wear off when you've recovered from being reproved by a Bronze Rider?" asked Josis cautiously.

"I want to learn! I want to have friends! I want to be likeable!" cried Vorinia.

Josis smiled cynically.

"Then Madam might start by adding a couple of things; and losing another" she said.

"What's that? Tell me quick!"

"Well madam, if you add the odd 'please' and 'thank you' the courtesy oils many a bad moment; and if you remove 'I want' from your speech you'll find people less inclined to see you for a spoilt little madam. And as you stop thinking about what YOU want, and start thinking about courtesies to other people's feelings you'll find that you're NOT such a spoilt little madam."

It was the longest speech Josis had ever made to her mistress; and Vorinia flushed. Anger ran across her face at being so spoken to; but she swallowed it, especially seeing Josis flinch and tense for a blow.

"I – I see. Thank you Josis" she said "I – I appreciate you being blunt. SOMEONE has to be; and Daddy won't. I – I don't think he accepts what Queenrider L'rilly said, that he was at least partly to blame for me. I don't think hw sees anything wrong."

Josis pulled a face.

"Your father has never had a kind word for anyone one but you, Lady, and too many in your case. He's not universally popular himself."

Vorinia was startled.

The idea that a Holder's people shoul hold opinions about their overlord had never entered her rather empty little head. But visions of her father snarling at people, slashing casually with his riding crop, kicking at drudges suddenly rose before her eyes.

"How would My Lady like to be a drudge in this Hold, scrubbing floors when the Holder comes in, in a bad mood?" asked Josis shrewdly.

The thought was horrifying.

"I – I can't imagine!" said Vorinia "I – I can't even imagine drudging, let alone…they said I was lazy too" she added.

"You've not exactly been encouraged to stir yourself, have you?" asked Josis. Vorinia was holding her hand tightly, as though she were drowning and was grasping at the one thing that could keep her above water. It hurt; but Josis did not mind that pain. It was the hand of a desperate child clinging to someone who could rescue her.

"D're said, if I learned to be decent, and learned to work and get fit, I might be able to go back one day" said Vorinia.

"And are you sweet on this D're?" asked Josis.

Vorinia blinked.

"No…..no, he's handsome and…..and merry when he's not so angry…..he…..he acted like I was a little sister who needed scolding and chastising I guess….. I think I rather admire him, and I'm a bit scared of him….. he has a weyrmate anyway, and they take that seriously apparently."

"Then it strikes me, Madam, you were dead lucky to be advised by him" said Josis bluntly.

"I suppose so. Oh Josis, please call me Vorinia when we're alone! I – I need a friend and you're being such a good one so far – especially as I've been such a porcine too you!"

Josis allowed herself a smile.

"It hasn't always been easy – Vorinia. But if you really want to change I will stand your friend."

Vorinia looked into the girl's steady green eyes.

"If I do return, you must come with me – as a candidate" she said soberly "Or go yourself if you don't feel that I ever can. You – you're – that's so forgiving…..and I – I guess that being nice to people who don't really deserve it is one of the things being a Dragonrider is all about."

Josis saw the sincerity in her mistress's blue eyes and embraced her warmly.

"You just put someone else first, dear Vorinis" she whispered "And that's a fardling big step! I – I would love to be near dragons – more than anything, I guess! But if we DO go, I can't do your chores for you, you know; it wouldn't be fair to YOU!"

Vorinia nodded.

"I know. I – I had an idea. If – if I can persuade Caligar" she named her personal groom "To play along, I could ride off, and comeback each morning dressed as a drudge and learn?"

Josis laughed.

"It won't work. By the time you ride, much of the work is done! If you want to know how to drudge, better to get up early – long before your father rises – and I'll introduce you as a girl come to help for a couple of hours. Because you won't last longer than that at first."

"How…er how long do drudges work each day?" Vorinia wanted to know.

"Between twelve and sixteen hours" shrugged Josis "Not always at HARD work. I rise at five to see water is hot for your bath; and wash and hang up the clothes you've discarded the previous night, and if they dry I iron them in case you decide to wear the same gown. It's a skilled job; brocades are the very Red Star to launder you know; and velvets too. I hope to have time to take some breakfast then; but that depends. Then I do any mending that's urgent and then I bring you your klah in bed; and then I bring you breakfast if you require it in bed, and lay out what you have chosen to wear. Next I bring hot water for your bath and stand by in case you need me. I usually snatch the chance to sit down then" she added "Then I dry you and assist you with dressing and hope that you're in a good mood and not about to find me clumsy when you're not helping yourself with dressing" – here Vorinia flushed. Josis went on,

"Anyway, once you're up and go down to play music or go riding or embroider I often have time to snatch breakfast if I have not done so before, so long as I am within call to pick up yor skein of thread if you are embroidering should you drop it. It is easiest on ME if you choose to ride" she added dryly.

"I make myself ride; one has to. Runner beasts scare e so" confessed Vorinia.

"Well if you only told Caligar that and let him show you how to master them properly they'd become less scary I guess!" suggested Josis.

"But he'd despise me!" wailed Vorinia.

"For ill treating the animals he already does" said Josis "What else do you expect? Now are you losing your resolve, for you've that temper look coming, Vorinia.."

Vorinia swallowed.

"It's not easy to hear" she said.

"But better from someone who thinks you CAN change the way you're seen surely? Shall I continue with the description of my day's work?" said Josis.

Vorinia nodded almost meekly.

Josis went on,

"It's the table staff who have the caring for you at the noon meal; I have a couple of hours lighter duties – mending, and ironing what I've not been able to do before, as well as eating my own nooning" she said "Then I must be on hand for you in the afternoon should you call; for you like to please yourself without interruption walking in the garden and receiving swains sometimes; and I must be invisible but on hand. Then I must lay out what you plan to wear for the evening, and heat you another bath, and help you with it and with dressing; and clear up your dressing table if you have used makeup. And your hair must be braided again – I did not mention that for the morning ablutions – and then it is supper and the evening entertainments. I often take a nap after I have eaten; I'm pretty tired by then" she confessed. "Then I must undress you and get you to bed, and pick up your discarded clothes to wash on the morrow, and sit up a while in case you do not sleep straight away but call for me. It is then eleven in the evening."

Vorinia was aghast.

"How do you cope on so little sleep?" she demanded.

Josis shrugged.

"Accustomed to it I suppose" she said "Sometimes I'm so tired I want to cry; especially when you've been …..a little fractious."

Vorinia flushed.

"That makes it sound so childish!" she snapped.

"And is it not?"

Vorinia buried her face in her hands.

"I had no idea!" she said "I – I'm sorry I've been so trying to add to all that!"

"That is the biggest thing you ever said" said Josis "I never heard you ever apologise before!"

"It – I find it so difficult!"

"It is. Vorinia, I'm really starting to like you – is that not a victory for you?" said Josis.

"Truly?" Vorinia sounded hungry.

"Truly!"

"Then – then I can do it! With your help! Josis, I – I can't start tomorrow; I'm exhausted with all that's happened! But please go STRAIGHT to bed yourself; if I want anything I can get it myself!"

"Let me get you a mug of water first" said Josis "If you have it ready at night, you won't have to disturb yourself to get one; and that'll make you sweeter natured about your resolve not to call me."

Vorinia managed a weak smile.

"That's awfully practical" she said.

"Drudges have to be" said Josis dryly.

"One more question – you're obviously intelligent and educated; so why are you a drudge?" asked Vorinia.

"Because my mother died birthing a dead baby when I was small; and my father was an itinerant woodcrafter who died when some idiot logger dropped a tree on him; and it would have cost your father trouble to send me back to the Woodcrafter Hall where I had family, especially when he had a daughter who needed a drudge. And he told me how grateful I should be to him for his – generosity!" she spat the word, her eyes flashing with anger.

"And you had to drudge for me and my tantrums while grieving for your father – and I assumed you'd not much notice because the commons have no more feelings than animals; and you a crafter, not the commons at all!"

"And that's a load of wherry teeth too!" snapped Josis "The commons DO have feelings every bit as fine as yours, Vorinia! People are all alike – even those who drudge because they're too stupid to do anything else have FEELINGS! So get that into your head!"

"I – I'm sorry!" Vorinia was shocked at the other girl's vehemence. And, truth to tell, shocked at her father's betrayal of the unwritten code that craft returned to craft if bereft of support!

Josis nodded a little curtly.

"I never had time to grieve for him properly yet" she said "If you will excuse me….." her eyes shone with unshed tears.

Vorinia impulsively hugged her.

"Tomorrow you take the day off!" she said "I – I'm sure I can make shift for myself!"

Josis gave her a twisted smile.

"No you can't. not until you're taught. Perhaps you'll choose to wear a different gown though so I don't have to hurry as much?"

"I will" said Vorinia "And – and you can show me how to do my own mending too, perhaps?"

"I think you'd find it more enjoyable than you realise to work together" said Josis. "Good night, Vorinia."

"Good night Josis!" said Vorinia.

It was a happier girl who went to bed than for a long time, had she but realised it; and if Josis cried herself to sleep those tears too were healing.

She too was no longer alone with a burden of grief to carry!


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

Vorinia was well trained in sewing; though her training had been geared largely towards embroidery.

"I was taught by a woman called Davinda" she told Josis "She became ill a turn or so before you came; she was whisked away to the Healers. I – I suppose she died; father never let me ask questions about her and told me not to worry my pretty little head the one time I ventured to ask to visit her. She also taught me basic music, handwriting, sewing, dancing, drum messages – all the things a Ranking girl needs to know. She taught me to draw a little as well. I was a bit delicate in those days so I never learned to ride with her."

"Ah" said Josis "And she gave you the basics to be nice too then, I bet – that you had discipline from her, or you'd never have learned anything. Your sense of loss over her unexplained total disappearance and your father pampering you made a slightly spoiled child of privilege into…."she sought for a tactful word.

"Into a little monster?" said Vorinia "Yes, you're right – she wasn't there, and there were suddenly horrid scary runnerbeasts that I had to learn about instead of lessons with Davinda. So lots of bad things happened together."

"And I caught the brunt of your anger over circumstances I suppose" said Josis.

"Yes, I'm afraid so" said Vorinia. "I THINK I wasn't so badly spoilt with Davinda there. She didn't think much of pouting or whining. Oh Josis! If I try to think what SHE might have said, so you think that would help?"

"I think it might" said Josis "Did she teach you basic sewing as well as embroidery?"

Vorinia wrinkled her brow.

"I THINK so" she said "But it was boring; I think I complained to daddy and he made her not teach me things that only a drudge would do."

"I remember – just, for I was very young – Lady Benoria in Fort Hold doing her own mending" said Josis dryly.

Vorinia flushed.

"I suppose daddy had to guess what the real Ranking do, because he was made Holder under Fax" she said.

"That would not help if he'd never been taught" said Josis. "Well I say mending can be fun if you're busy chatting with others; you've hemmed up a good portion of that pulled hem already!"

"Why so I have!" gasped Vorinia "THANK you Josis! We'll finish this in no time!"

Josis smiled.

Mending could be horribly tedious; but less so when it was just a habit. And Vorinia's small neat stitching could not be faulted!

"Did you learn any woodcrafting?" asked Vorinia.

"Yes, some basics; my father was preparing me with the expectation that I would enter a full apprenticeship. I RESENT your father, Vorinia; I lost my chance to be a crafter!"

Vorinia looked stricken, realising that the girl so kindly helping her find meaning in her life had suffered the loss of the whole life she had herself expected.

"M-maybe not totally, Josis; a lot of people at the Weyr seem to be crafters; there's a Bronze Rider with Journeyman Woodcrafter knots – perhaps they'll be flexible? After all it wasn't your fault. And – and I'm not sure that we don't owe you a fine."

Josis shrugged.

"For shell's sake, don't say anything to your father, will you? I don't want to find myself suddenly Holdless an hour before Threadfall is due."

Vorinia stared.

"He wouldn't – would he?"

"I know he's your father but I wouldn't be prepared to bet my life on it. ONE person in your life who was sick and inconvenient has disappeared without trace. And none of the other drudges know what happened to her; for I asked questions about your previous maid. Except that there's one old woman who looks frightened and will not speak."

"Would she speak to me, do you think?" asked Vorinia.

"I doubt it. She'd just collapse with fear. I'll see if I can find out more; you've given me a name now and more information. But you must be patient. It'll take time if I can find out at all; and you've wasted six turns already effectively, though it wasn't your fault."

Vorinia sighed.

"I – I'll try; I never had to be patient before."

Josis laughed.

"Yes you have; when you're waiting for guests to arrive; or when you need the Necessary and are away from home."

"Does that count? Those things I can't change."

"You can't change how long it takes me to pump this drudge – and I'm not going to put temptation in your way by telling you her name" said Josis. "every time you feel like interfering and asking questions think about it being as potentially embarrassing as peeing yourself on that journey home. Because if she died on you of shock it'll be more than embarrassing."

"She – she's that frail? Why then is she still drudging?"

Josis looked the younger girl in the eye.

"Because she's too scared of what will happen to her if she admits to frailty!" she said.

Vorinia's face drained.

"That rather tells us something of what happened to Davinda then, doesn't it?" she said.

Josis shrugged.

"I rather thought so" she said; glad that the other girl could see it as clearly.

oOoOo

Vorinia's father came into the room and Josis rose quickly and moved to the side of the room, eyes downcast.

"How is my golden queen this morning?" Vorn asked Vorinia, kissing her in greeting.

"Oh much better, thank you daddy" said Vorinia feeling faintly embarrassed.

"What are you sewing, sweetie? It doesn't look very exciting" said her father in disapproval.

"If I want to go back to the Weyr they made it plain to me that even Queenriders do their own mending. The children and grandchildren of Lords Holders I met were scornful that I did not know how. It was humiliating to not know that a Lady should be able to do plain sewing as well as fancy. I'm not about to be humiliated next time" said Vorinia with a proud lift to her chin.

It was not a lie. She HAD felt humiliated by the scorn of the other girls better born than she.

"Surely not! Why would they demean themselves? Are you sure you understood that, my precious?" Holder Vorn said.

"I did not misunderstand; it was made very clear. It is the way of the Ranking; those born to it consider it natural. I'd rather learn if you please, daddy. I'm not stupid. I also need to take more exercise; I'm going to start taking walks to get fitter. NEXT time I go I shall be in with a chance, you know, because I shall be better prepared and more mature" said Vorinia.

"That's my brave baby!" Vorn ruffled her pale golden curls. "Are you going for a ride this afternoon?"

"I thought I might, daddy" said Vorinia gritting her teeth. "Will you ask Caligar to saddle me a quiet mare? I want to amble and it would bore any other beast. I'm – I'm still a bit tired."

"Of course, darling" Vorn kissed her again and bustled off.

Vorinia let out an explosive sigh.

"Oh Josis!" she said "I – I was afraid of saying anything to make him fly into a rage or lash out at you; I felt I had to watch every word!"

"You just became one of the rest of us, Lady Vorinia" said Josis "No, I'm not going to drop the 'Lady' except in your room; I'm scared of making a slip and doors can have ears you know."

Vorinia nodded.

"I understand" she said.

oOoOo

Caligar was waiting for his mistress as wooden faced as Josis had been. Vorinia glanced at the stable boy at the runnerbeast's head.

"Walk with me a moment, Caligar, before I mount up; I want to ask you something" the girl said.

"Lady?" he was surprised but followed her out.

Vorinia stared out over the yard clenching and unclenching her fists. This was not easy.

"I – I've been a pain, Caligar" said Vorinia "And – and I've treated the runnerbeasts badly too…..and – and I'm sorry…..but I'm terrified of them. There! Now you know! I hate them and I fear them. What do I do?"

Caligar stared.

Where was the arrogant bitch who knew it all?

"Lady, you never said" he was reproachful.

"And let my father down, by showing him that I dislike the creatures he values so much?"

"I see your point, Lady. May I suggest you will learn to like them better by learning more about them?"

"All right" said Vorinia "How do I do that?"

"Come in and get to know the mare. She's placid; you can give her a fingerroot and pet her. When you feel that you know her, then you can mount up" said Caligar.

Vorinia swallowed.

"Very well" she said.

"Try not to show your fear, lady; the runners sense it and then they fear because you do" said the groom.

"Will – will she bite me?" asked Vorinia nervously.

"Old Whitebrow? Never!" laughed Caligar, then looked nervous himself in case laughing was an insult. Vorinia was too taken up with the ordeal to come to even notice.

"I'll try not to be afraid" she said.

"Lday, I don't understand how you can be afraid – you that has ridden dragonback!" Caligar scratched his head puzzled.

"But dragons aren't scary!" said Vorinia "They – they're people and they reason; runnerbeasts are animals and they all hate me!"

"Only because you hate them, Lady" said Caligar. "They're smarter than a lot of people you know!"

Vorinia nodded firmly; and strode purposefully back into the stable, where Caligar found her a fingerroot.

The mare took it, whickering softly, with a soft gentle mouth. Vorinia had managed not to snatch her hand back. The mare nuzzles forward for more.

"Old fool, one treat's enough fer thee" laughed Caligar "Mistress'll pet thee though" he lapsed into more local speech to speak to the beast.

Tentatively Vorinia stroked the mare's nose; and the runner whickered again.

"Lady, will you mount up now?" asked Caligar.

"I will" said Vorinia.

She was practised enough and got easily into the saddle. Whitebrow was eager for the exercise; but not so mettlesome as the steeds Holder Vorn usually deemed suitable for a Ranking girl's ride. She half turned her head, almost questioningly to Vorinia.

"Just your heels, lady" said Caligar "Touch her flanks; she's no need of anything more."

Vorinia nodded.

The familiar sweating panic was starting to sweep over her as Whitebrow set up a delicate walk; the feeling Vorinia associated with being on runnerback.

Caligar rode closer to her on the bay gelding he customarily rode.

"Let her follow along" he said "Your seat is good, Lady, save that it's a little stiff; look at the autumn leaves, Lady, the haze on the mountains; enjoy the beautiful day and get yourself calm."

Now she had spoken the groom could see how nervous the Ranking girl was; beads of sweat on her, for shell's sake! No wonder she was ill tempered with the beasts; and thank the First Egg she had finally spoken of it!

Once Vorinia had been riding a while, just ambling, little more than a passenger, she started to relax. The late autumnal scenery was pretty, though the wind was cold. She gave a tremulous smile to Caligar who smiled back reassuringly.

"You're doing fine, Lady" he said "Now take her up to a trot for a short while; and use your knees to tell her to go back to the walk – NOT by sawing on the reins. She won't be unwilling to comply; Whitebrow doesn't like trotting any more I wager than you do."

Vorinia nodded; and used her heels to indicate a change of gait. Whitebrow gave a disapproving snort and broke into a smooth trot. Vorinia knew how to rise and fall with the gait and did so.

"And slow her" called Caligar.

Vorinia tightened her knees.

Whitebrow dropped to a walk with a thankful whicker.

"Why I do believe you're as unfit and lazy as me!" said Vorinia, finding that she was patting the mare's neck almost naturally.

Caligar, coming up to her, said,

"She's not so young as she was, and doesn't get the exercise she needs either, Lady: she could do with being ridden more."

"Then I shall ride her more" said Vorinia "I – I don't think that I'm scared of her; she's not too fiery."

"No indeed, Lady; and a good temperament."

"You mean that's never been spoiled because I've never spoiled her" said Vorinia bitterly.

"Lady, if you want to learn to ENJOY riding, you can give her exercise and learn again to canter and gallop as she gets into condition" said Caligar "And if you are working together, she will treat you right as you will treat her. Now we should return before she gets over exercised."

Vorinia nodded. She was ready to return too!

"How do you care for her?" she asked curiously "What happens when I get off?"

"She must go through cooling off; a sweaty runner who cools too quickly can die" Caligar explained. "Never put a runner away hot and sweaty; it will catch a chill. You're starting the cooling out by walking her back – ten or fifteen minutes suffices."

"That much after a short trot?" Vorinia was surprised.

"Runners quickly build up a sweat; and like unfit humans, unfit runners do so more quickly that fit ones. She's ambling nicely there. When we get back I'll loosen the girth, but not release the saddle; the cold air on a sweating back can cause cramps. I'll put a cooler on – a blanket of llama wool to soak any sweat. Then she must be walked a few more minutes; then the saddle taken off, the cooler put back and she's walked some more. She's not as big a sweater as some; the bay your father rides needs rubbing down with drying cloths after a ride, or thatched with straw between two coolers. And they should never be allowed to drink cold water; only cool."

"Such a lot of trouble for just a short ride?" gasped Vorinia "I – I see now why that girl Kaili didn't want to stop the cooling off of Tragen's runner if they take chills so easily – if it wasn't proper to ride, I think there's be less trouble to walk everywhere!"

Caligar laughed.

"Some traders feel that way" he said "And have the odd ass or mule that are less delicate; I disagree, for I think them beautiful and a joy."

His voice was soft.

"You must hate me then for fearing them and punishing them for my own fear" said Vorinia.

"Lady, I could have cheerfully strangled you for spoiling the grey that Tragen then bought" said Caligar "Had I known that you were as a-feared as he, you might not have done."

"I was afraid of admitting to being afraid" said Vorinia "You can't think what a relief it is to be able to say it – but oh, PLEASE don't tell my father!"

"Do I look like a complete gowk, Lady?" said Caligar grimly "I've myself to think of as well as you!"

"Well I shall ride Whitebrow every afternoon it's fine enough to take her out and I will listen to you and learn" said Vorinia "I – I really mean to try. But I still have a hot temper; I'm trying to school it."

"Bless you, Lady, plenty runners have hot tempers" said Caligar "And you can't school it from them with the whip, but by gentling with firmness."

"Then I ask you to gentle me with firmness" said Vorinia firmly.

"You're doing real well, Lady. Will you stay and cool her?"

Vorinia hesitated as she dismounted.

"Yes" she said "If – I mean if it'll help me to get to know her better; and then I'll fear her less?"

"Indeed so, Lady" nodded Caligar.

Whatever they had done to her in her very brief stay in the Weyr, there had been a definite improvement; and Caligar approved.

If she might only keep it up!


	3. Chapter 3

_Thanks 'a Serious Fan'; yup it'll be an uphill struggle. But stubbornness can be good at times...__ Thanks Geowyn, she does at least realise that there is something wrong and that's to be encouraged... I always say there are no problem children, only problem parents..._**  
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**Chapter 3**

Even though she had gone to bed early, Vorinia scarcely felt as though she had slept when Josis shook her awake. She groaned.

"Do you want to back out?" asked Josis.

"NO!" said Vorinia, her face assuming the stubborn look that could presage tantrums. "I'm NOT going to quit!"

"That's the business" said Josis, grinning at her "I've brought you a drudge's smock and a scarf to tie up your hair; it'll help to disguise you."

"Thanks" said Vorinia.

The drudge smock was rough and uncomfortable against her skin. It was striped dark blue and green with a transverse line of black, the Hold colours in it as a livery.

"How can you wear this rough stuff?" she asked.

"Because it's preferable to being naked or whipped for complaining" said Josis. "Remember, keep your eyes down at all times, and never answer back."

oOoOo

It was unbelievably hard, even as Josis' assistant and shielded to some extent from the more important Hold Staff. Servants take their tone from the Master; and supervising staff were free with their hands to belabour those below them. Vorinia had no clue how to handle laundry, and though supposedly just helping Josis with the Lady's delicate clothes she had her ear painfully boxed by the brawny, red-armed laundrywoman for being in the way. Vorinia rounded on the woman automatically and Josis grabbed her by the arm.

"Hold this, Rinia" she said firmly, using the name they had agreed on. "You should know better than to annoy Selasta, she's queen of the laundry!"

The more frightening encounter was when a serving man's arm snaked around Vorinia's waist.

"New, eh, pretty? Give us a kiss!" he said, drawing her towards him.

Vorinia slapped him hard.

His face darkened in an ugly expression.

"I'll see you whipped for that!" he said, seizing her arm and shaking her. "How dare you, wench? I've status around here, and you do as you're told!"

Vorinia was terrified; his grip was vice-like.

"And you'll think that My Lady will like the likes of you spoiling her new drudge one way or another?" Josis' voice dripped scorn. "SH|E has the ordering of whipping me – and Rinia here – not you! You lay off her or I'll see you get the same as you got when you tried to force yourself on me!"

"Oh that was YOUR doing was it?" the serving man growled, but dropped Vorinia's arm.

"It was" said Josis, arms akimbo "And I do Joral enough favours that he still owes me."

The man scowled and stalked off.

"Who's Joral? What did you do?" asked Vorinia.

"Joral is chief huntsman. He likes other men, not women. I do his mending for him sometimes; for he's a big man. For that he stops anyone hurting me. He pretended he was going to bed Shevo there for me."

Vorinia chuckled.

"I like that" she said "There's something wrong though, that you have to make pacts like that."

"The thing that's wrong here is the Holder" said Josis, dropping her voice "And you'll hear more specific talk than that at breakfast. C'mon; we can eat now – since The Lady has been so considerate in her choice of clothes."

The drudges and servants who were sat down to eat in the kitchen certainly expressed their opinions clearly. One opinion that had Vorinia burning red with shame and horror was that of the stable boy who had held Whitebrow's bridle the day before; he expressed the belief that My Lady Snot-nose had called Caligar for private talk to suggest a different sort of riding to him. His gestures and manner were quite explicit.

"Her having been chucked out of the Weyr and not getting to shag dragonmen" he said.

"Quiet you" said Josis "My Lady was not chucked out; she left voluntarily because she didn't feel ready, and she's not promiscuous either."

"I dunno why you allus stick up for her" said the boy sullenly "Shells knows the bitch don't appreciate it – hits you around enough."

"I'm maybe sorry for a kid that she's been taught no better than that by the old fartbag" said Josis calmly "Rinia, are you going to finish that porridge? 'cos if not pass it here."

It was a gentle rebuke that Vorinia was sitting open mouthed, silently indignant.

The stable boy laughed nastily.

"The kid's shocked to find out what porcines she's working for" he said "Stay as great a distance as you can from Lady Snot-nose, sweetie; she fetches a mean slap."

Vorinia muttered something unintelligible and applied herself to eating her less than appetising breakfast.

The two hours were almost over.

"Help me carry these things up to My Lady's room" said Josis.

It was the means by which Rinia was to disappear and Vorinia to reappear.

oOoOo

Vorinia collapsed onto the bed.

"Josis, it was AWFUL!" she cried "The violence…..the cruelty….the sheer hard work…..my hands! They'll never be the same again! And those awful, awful people!"

Josis surveyed her, not without sympathy.

"Who gives the example of violence and cruelty that people follow?" she asked. "And do you expect people NOT to comlain? As to the work, welcome to the real world."

Vorinia sobbed weakly from exhaustion.

"I don't know what to do to make it better" she said helplessly.

"Well if YOU set the tone of politeness and not whipping people maybe it will help" said Josis "I don't know if it's enough. But it might help."

Vorinia nodded.

"Oh I'll try! The number of times I WANTED to strike people though!" she said.

"You did well to resist it" said Josis "And hitting Shevo is what any good girl might have done in panic –that's not out of character. You did well."

oOoOo

The work became routine over several days; and Vorinia learned to avert her face or have it slapped hard by those higher in the pecking order than a mere drudge. She had needed to pretend earache from riding in a cold wind to avert her father's suspicions from a reddened, swollen face and submitted to soothing numbweed smoothed in by the Hold Healer.

Drudges did not get numbweed for ordinary injury much of the time let alone for any chastisement that had occasioned.

And in the afternoons Vorinia was getting to know Whitebrow; and went to visit her for the two days her face was swollen, which earned her praise on the one hand from Caligar and a telling off for not wearing a scarf on the other. She took the telling off meekly which pleased him too. And soon she felt quite at home with the mare; and no longer in the least bit afraid of her!

The stable boy passed his comments of course that Lady Snot-nose was now visiting the stable to see a runner; and Caligar was a sly old snake to be covering the Holder's daughter. And Vorinia learned to keep her tongue behind her teeth – and moreover had learned enough not to take it out on the boy when she was being herself.

Meanwhile at first, day by day the aches grew worse; and Vorinia often cried herself to sleep. But the stubborn streak in her would not let go of the challenge; and one day she woke up feeling refreshed from her sleep and pain free!

The exercise was paying off; her muscles had got used to the unaccustomed hard work! Performing her tasks was if not easy at least bearable! And she went for her ride in the afternoon quite jauntily!

The stable boy's knowing smirk did bring a flash of anger however.

"Caligar" she said "This boy looks to have a colic or something, the grimaces he's pulling. Do you think a good dose of castor oil might help him feel better?"

Caligar looked at her face, tight and controlled, and at the boy.

"Why I believe it might" he said "I'll see to it after your ride, Lady."

oOo

On the ride, Caligar asked,

"Do you want to tell me about it, Lady?"

Vorinia hesitated; then nodded. It concerned Caligar's good name too.

"My drudge overheard him making lewd comments about me having an affaire with you" she said "And – and he smirked as I went by and I wanted to slap the smile off his stupid face!"

"Wisest that you managed not to, Lady; might have given credence to his tale. Suggesting colic is just the thing; and Castor Oil an excellent punishment for his impudence. I shall try to overhear these imputations myself – that I might take my own steps."

"Thanks Caligar; it's not nice being defamed. To call me down for being bad tempered is true; but I've never played around with any man!"

"Especially not a servant?" said Caligar.

"Especially not a man old enough to be my father" Vorinia wrinkled her nose "No offence intended, Caligar, but if I wanted to muck about I could have the pick of men my age or only a little older!"

Caligar laughed rather wryly.

"Well I have to say, Lady, I still think of you in terms of being a child, so our views coincide there" he said . "Impudent brat that he is! I'll sort him out; leave it to me."

oOoOo

Vorinia was fortunate to have the opportunity to see the sorting out the next morning: the lad was holding forth on the injustices of being half poisoned just because he knew what was going on between My Lady and Caligar; when that worthy walked in.

"Well boy if you think me senile enough to be chasing half-grown totty it's as well I know your views" said Caligar grimly "But what stupid idea in what you laughingly call your brain makes you think that a beautiful and wealthy girl like Lady Vorinia would want to sleep with an ageing groom when she can have her pick of young studs? Obviously you have too much time on your hands that you should indulge in what you fondly believe to be thinking. You be wrong, lad; and I'll be finding 'ee more jobs t'keep 'ee busy."

Vorinia kept her face well averted during that exchange; Caligar was sharp sighted enough to spot her and quick witted enough to recognise her. It was why he had risen to chief groom!

oOoOo

Shevo the serving man had not given up on the idea of possessing the uncommonly pretty new drudge; he was frustrated in not finding out where she might sleep; and that she never seemed to be far from that unwholesomely clever and determined Josis.

Josis herself was a pretty enough girl with nut brown hair and green eyes in an elfin face that was now losing the peaked look for being happier – and better rested! – but the girl Rinia was quite out of the ordinary and Shevo was obsessed with having her.

Vorinia had always been proud of her looks, glad her beauty gave her power over boys: now she was realising the down side to being too good looking. She took good care to keep close to Josis!

This made the pert stable boy make a comment that suggested the two drudges were queer women; and Vorinia and Josis exchanged looks and boxed his ears neatly, one each side, and perfectly legitimately for commenting on something that would be, as Vorinia said tartly, none of his business even if it were true.

Settling Shevo however happened entirely by accident.

Vorinia was clad in her normal clothes of rich llama wool and spinner-silk damasked in a pattern of fellis in golden yellow spinner-silk on the dark blue ground. This however was hidden under a cloak dragged on hastily for Vorinia to run across the yard to retrieve a petticoat she had left pegged out that morning, knowing that it was likely to be frosty overnight and the delicate linen might be damaged if it froze stiff as a board and was then handled roughly. It was already cold as the sun went down and Vorinia clutched the cloak around her.

It covered all her fine gown and covered her hair in the same way that the cloth she wore over her hair in the mornings did. And Shevo, glancing out of the kitchen door, grinned in triumph and pleased anticipation as he noticed the figure he recognised.

At last the wench was alone!

A few swift strides had him at her side; and Vorinia was pinned in his vice like grip.

"And NOW my wench, you'll see if you can slap me!" growled Shevo, pulling her towards an outbuilding.

Vorinia struggled furiously; and could not free herself.

She screamed!

D're had said her voice could cut paper and break glass; and she used it!

Shevo backhanded her.

"Shut up, bitch!" he said "Or I'll make it much, much worse for you!"

He had let go of her with one hand to strike her; and Vorinia seized her opportunity.

She also seized his nose; and twisted.

Shevo yelled this time and hit her again; and pulled away her cloak to rip her bodice.

Even in the crepuscular gloom he could make out the difference between fustian and damask.

Vorinia screamed again.

"HELP! RAPE!" she shouted.

Her father was amongst those who had heard her cries and recognised her voice; and next moment Shevo went flying to measure his length on the floor with blows raining upon him from Vorn's riding crop. Vorinia was retching with fear; and Josis ran to her to put her arms about her mistress.

"Lady – he'll beat him to death!" she whispered fearfully.

"If he'd succeeded in raping a drudge under my protection he'd have deserved it" said Vorinia, eyes blazing with fury "would you not feel the same?"

Josis flushed.

"I – I guess I would" she said.

"But you'd rather you didn't" guessed Vorinia and raised her voice. "Father" she said.

"WHAT?" the Holder snapped, pausing in his vicious beating of Shevo.

"He's dung; not worth it. I want him made a drudge, the lowest of the low, so he knows what happens to anyone who harries a woman in your Hold; and see he wears a placard saying 'Rapist' at all times."

Vorn regarded the serving man coldly where he lay whimpering and semi conscious on the cold ground.

"He dared lay lewd hands on my daughter" he snarled.

For once most of the Hold that had turned out to view the proceedings were actually on the Holder's side; any man had the right, nay the duty, to defend his daughter's honour – especially from a rapist! And enough knew what Shevo was like to consider that he had it coming to him.

Shevo managed to find his voice, hold on to consciousness.

"I swear by the First Egg, Holder, I didn't know it was your daughter!" he cried "I-I thought I recognised a drudge what's been coy with me…why for would I expect your daughter to be out here to bring in linen?"

Vorinia sniffed.

"Because idiot I had sent my drudge on an errand and then remembered that she had said she had hung my petticoat to dry and I wanted it to wear!" said Vorinia "I can use my tiny feet to just fetch in a petticoat you know! And if you've been messing with the drudges no wonder half the work gets left undone. I really think he should be a drudge, daddy; under those he's slighted before."

Vorn gave a cruel smile.

"Very well" he said "It shall be so, Take him away! My darling baby, did he hurt you badly?"

"He hadn't done much more than rip my bodice" said Vorinia, holding it closed "And hit me a few times; and twisted my arm. I'll live."

"Baby! My golden queen!" Vorn examined her face; and started to turn with an ugly look on his face; but the man Shevo had managed to get himself out of sight!

"If he can't take it, he can make himself Holdless" said Vorinia quietly to Josis "And I think it is meet that he should be under those he has bullied."

"So do I" said Josis "Oh yes, so do I!"


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

Vorinia made sure to present a believable reason for Shevo's mistake next morning.

"You poor fool" she said to the newly demoted drudge "Can't even tell the legitimate one from the bastard; and serve you right at that!"

Shevo goggled, mouth agape; then a nasty look crossed his face.

"You're the old caprine's side issue? WELL! I wonder what her Ladyship would say if she knew her new drudge was her sister?"

"What, you stoop to attempting coercion by threat of disclosure do you?" sneered Vorinia "I'd not even try it of I were you."

"Oh, if you are about to claim that she'd not speak to me, you're right; but I am literate. I could write her a letter" said Shevo.

"Oh, and what would you say – 'I'm sorry I tried to screw you because I thought you were your sister'? do you actually suppose that SHE doesn't know who I am? YOU might be blind, daft and er Gormless" – this she borrowed from Caligar – "But my Lady isn't. Short of temper, yes. Short of brains, no. She believes in keeping bloodties close; and making sure that I am grateful too her. For that, I give her loyalty, and I could have applauded if the old man HAD thrashed you to death."

Shevo was not happy; but then Vorinia had not intended that he should be!

She and Josis were not the only ones to be ordering him around to the worst jobs; any of the more attractive women whose paths had crossed that of the philandering serving man found excuse to come with the need for a drudge to undertake dirty and demeaning jobs.

Shevo slunk out of the Hold halfway through the day; and was never seen there again.

oOoOo

The snows came, quietly, insidiously, inexorably.

One evening was cold, grey and depressing; and the next morning there was the strange white light that denoted that snow was shining in the light of Timor setting as Vorinia rose to join Josis.

"It'll be a fine walk out this afternoon if the snow holds off" said Vorinia, shivering into her simple smock. "Jo, our people aren't all dressed very adequately, are they? I mean, you and I dress as though we're expected to be looked at and so mustn't be too ugly…but….." she glanced down at the homespun cloth in its dark blue and green stripes crossed with a black line that marked their Hold.

"But who cares if a drudge or two dies of cold?" said Josis dryly "The wages to most Hold workers are set out by the Harpers but wages to drudges, who are often those least able to handle money for being the halfwits, are in part 'suitable clothing and food' you know; and the Holder determines what is suitable. We are to be seen as you say, so we wear the livery of the Hold. As you know, most drudges wear undyed clothes made as often as not from old blankets worn too thin to use on the beds of higher ranking servants."

"That's not good enough" said Vorinia "I'll be seeing the steward after breakfast. And that frail old woman – I've a warm shawl here she can halve. Josis, what skills has she?"

"Cleaning and such. She's a drudge. She knows some healing – she used to drudge in the healing rooms – but not much more" said Josis.

"Bring her up to that outsized cupboard of a room the spare quilts are stored in; it's next to a chimney. She can – she can be responsible for cleaning out and lighting my fire; and you and I can heave the blackrock and wood between us and take out the ashes."

Josis nodded.

"I shall do that right away if you don't mind – can you do the laundry alone now?"

"I most certainly can!" said Vorinia, sturdily; and set off to do so.

The steward's personal drudge, who ventured a sally about the two girls having fallen out demonstrated how well Vorinia had learned to handle washing for he received a face full of hot wet soapy pillowslip by way of answer to his snide comments and a

"Oops! So much less easy to control without two of us doing it" by way of a less than apologetic form apology. Vorinia then turned her back on him to concentrate on her work.

Unlike the laundry women her hands did not suffer too much; generally it was only the finest clothes that Josis dealt with, and the girls used plenty of lanolin, permitted to a lady's maid, to protect them before washing and to soften them afterwards to keep their hands soft to do the mending and sewing as a personal drudge must do.

oOoOo

After breakfast – the Lady Vorinia's breakfast – Vorinia took herself to the steward's office. Not, it may be said, without some trepidation; but certainly with determination.

He rose as she knocked and entered; filled with consternation over what the Lady might want of him; funds perhaps for some itinerant trader if she had overspent her allowance.

Vorinia nodded to him.

"Olban" she said crisply "I notice that some of the drudges appear to be inadequately dressed for the weather."

"They have their clothes allowance, Lady" said Olban,

"Then it would appear to be inadequate, would it not?" said Vorinia sweetly "Or they would not be blue with cols without decent footwear and with – in some cases – short sleeves and threadbare shawls at best. Nobody CHOOSES to go cold, Olban. I want to see them issued with sweaters, boots and long underwear."

"It'll cost the Hold money, Lady" said Olban gloomily.

"For what, a dozen of fifteen drudges? A maximum of thirty marks and their work improved for being able to work better and harder for not being incapacitated by cold and less likely to lose a day's work through illness."

"Oh if they become ill, they are made Holdless; you need not worry about them costing marks for no work" said Olban.

"They WHAT?" screeched Vorinia, her voice hitting those registers that made all in Lambo's Field Hold wince. "Olban do you WANT me to report you to the Harpers for violating the Charter?"

Olban stared.

"It's your father's orders" he said sulkily.

"Then you had better not carry out such illegal orders, had you?" said Vorinia her voice now as quiet as the screech had been loud. Somehow Olban found the quiet voice more chilling. She went on "You are not actually telling me that he NOTICES anything about the drudges in his own Hold? You run the place; which is why I come to you, not to him. You'll take MY orders from now on; and return him soft answer and lie if you have to."

"Yes, Lady" said Olban.

"Olban: I'll check up" said Vorinia, still very softly "If you don't start improving the way our people are treated, in line with the Charter, I'll be seeing my way to inform the Harpers; AND Lord Bargen."

"That will indict your father too" said Olban.

"He should have thought of that before he started robbing people of their rights" said Vorinia "I've no chance of talking HIM into changing his ways: YOU however are dependant on the Hold and one day I shall inherit. It is in your interests to please me."

"Yes Lady" said Olban with grudging respect. The spoilt featherheaded brat had come back from the Weyr with a changed attitude and a thought or several behind her baby-blue eyes.

Olban was not himself a bad man; and he was scrupulously honest. The deficiencies in the diet and clothing of the drudges were not his idea nor a way to make his own profits; but he had become apathetic and accepting of the way things were.

What she had said about Holder Vorn was true though; providing that his profits flowed in, he would not interfere in the running of the Hold for he found the details of accounting tedious. Olban knew well enough that if he had been dishonest, it would have been easy to feather his own nest.

"Did my Lady want to check my accounting?" he asked.

"Olban, I wouldn't know how to catch you out if you were fiddling the accounts; but I fancy that you'd be sleeker and more self-satisfied if you were; so I trust your honesty" she said

Olban stared; then gave a reluctant laugh.

"An interesting way to judge a man's integrity" he said "And I don't deny I mistrust the sleeker stewards and marksmen myself. Would my Lady like to learn accounting?"

"Now THAT, Olban, is a good idea" said Vorinia "After breakfast for an hour each morning if that will suit you?"

"If my Lady pleases" said Olban.

oOoOo

Now that Vorinia found the physical demands of drudgery less hard it seemed a good idea to learn as much as she might. If she failed to Impress in the future she WOULD inherit the Hold.

And if she did Impress?

Well such skills would be useful to help the administration of the Weyr. But in other respects, Vorinia was very disturbed about what to do.

Her father had been the centre of her life, doting on her fondly. And she had always believed that she had loved him: and he lover her. Recent events were, however, opening her eyes; and she wondered whether he loved her: or prized her almost as a possession. Even a bargaining chip to make an advantageous marriage.

His first act after pulling Shevo off her had NOT been to comfort her and ascertain her well-being, but to start punishing the man for the slight. She could have fallen into a swoon and he would not have noticed. And his care for his people was anything but tender, which had come as a severe shock to tenderly protected Vorinia! Indeed, Vorn was fairly universally hated by his underlings: and Vorinia wondered if any outsider could believe that, for he was quite charming to others of his own status and Rank or those above him.

Which would make it difficult to keep him from oppressing the people if she DID Impress.

Was her duty then to remain? Sooner or later he would find out that she was interfering; and then there would be a scene and she would be forbidden from doing any more and perhaps those she had been trying to help would be punished for making her put their needs first.

It was hard to know what to do!

She must get advice; and advice from someone who could keep a close mouth and yet who was also Ranking.

oOoOO

Vorinia made up her mind; and as soon as the first good freeze came she asked Caligar to drive her out visiting with her maid in attendance.

When they were out of the Hold she directed him to Northfork Runner Hold.

Northfork was only an hour and a half's sled ride from Lambo's Field Hold: and it was a pleasant day for a run too. Swathed in furs, which she had also arranged for Josis, Vorinia managed to enjoy the trip despite her worries.

oOoOo

Tragen and Kaili received the girl coolly; but with more civility than had not D're come to speak to them and tell his sister that he believed that a talking to had made the girl think.

Vorinia took a deep breath and looked scared enough that Tragen and Kaili both re-evaluated a girl who would normally have sneered at them.

"Holder, Lady Kaili, I owe you a number of apologies" said Vorinia, swallowing hard "I – I have not behaved well at all; I offer to you as some excuse that I knew nothing of cooling off, and - and I hava also always been terrified of runnerbeasts" she concluded in a rush.

"Terrified av runnerbeasts? Sure, and how can anyone be terrified av the dharlin' creatures?" said Kaili indignantly.

"Because they're big and snorting and step on your feet and bite and – and are scary!" said Vorinia "Maybe there's something YOU'RE scared of that I'm not; I'm not afraid of dragons and I'm not afraid of heights and I'm not afraid of small spaces but I have heard that there are people who are afraid of all of those things though I find it difficult to understand. Shut me in a cellar for hours and I get no more than bored – but I see that THAT thought disturbs YOU Lady Kaili."

Kaili frowned.

"I see" she said "Well if runnerbeasts make you feel the way I feel about bein' enclosed, why then would ye be ridin' av them?"

"Because my father expected me to" said Vorinia "And I suppose somewhere deep down I knew I should fear his wrath" she shrugged "It was expected that I would ride; and my father seemed to think, and taught me that, runnerbeasts should be beaten to intimidate them. As I hated them anyway I had no hesitation in following his lead."

"Well I am ready to accept your apology, handsomely given too" said Tragen "For I appreciate your courage in coming with it. Don't you my dear?" he said to Kaili.

"Sure, and don't I know how hard it is to admit to a fault; and to turn away from bad behaviour" said Kaili "And it's the first I should be to be offerin' me hand to someone able t' do it so I should. And I apologise too, so I do for the doubtin' av you for fear av runnerbeasts not bein; somethin' I could understand. Nor fear av dragons fer that matter" she added candidly "Though I'm told there are folks that DO fear dragons."

"Well I AM sorry; and my groom has been helping me to overcome my fear by getting me used to a placid mare first" said Vorinia "And I'm hoping to learn not to fear any, for old Whitebrow is a good gentle mount and I'm actually starting to find her a little too placid and lazy; which has to be good. But…..but I don't want to talk about runnerbeasts; I came to beg your advice."

"Why don't I get klah and cakes?" said Kaili.

"My man's cooling the sled beasts; can he be given klah?" asked Vorinia.

Kaili raised an eyebrow.

"You HAVE come a long way me ghirl" she said "And your maid?"

"Josis is my friend as much as maid; I hope you'll treat her as such. She'll hear all I have to say and may have her own comment to make" said Vorinia "I've not yet burdened her with the seriousness of what I've been thinking and worrying about."

"Idiot" said Josis "A trouble shared is a trouble halved."

"But I didn't think you'd be able to think of anything better than me" said Vorinia "It needs a man of Rank who's an outsider."

Sat down with klah she outlined all her concerns, Tragen and Kaili shocked at the abuses she described. That Josis' face did not change save to nod occasionally, proved that Vorinia was not exaggerating from hysteria; and Tragen looked very grave.

Kaili was furious.

"He should be deposed, so he should! Ye should go t' Lord Bargen!"

"Lady Kaili, how can I? he's my own father!" Vorinia's eyes filled with tears "I – I don't know how I feel about him right now – apart from rather betrayed – but he's always been tender towards me and – and I CAN'T!"

"And it's unfair on the child to ask it of her" said Tragen "Yes, I see your dilemma. You say you've been able to make some difference covertly?"

"Yes, Holder Tragen; the steward is taking my orders and he knows to tread softly. My father is free with his fists even to high level underlings. And…." she gulped "He makes people Holdless readily – for things like falling ill. I believe him morally responsible for the death of my nursemaid, the nearest I ever had to a mother" and she explained quickly about Davinda.

Kaili was shocked enough to drop her klah.

Tragen shook his head.

"I have NEVER liked Holder Vorn" he said "But whilst he was civil I could hardly refuse to do business with him. I knew his runners didn't like him you see – for I am a Whisperer. And you do not surprise me, for I distrust men of charm. I knew how Fax charmed his uncle you see. To take on yourself so heavy a duty as to covertly run the Hold and hope – probably vainly I have to say – that he'll not notice is unreasonable. And the strain is already showing in your eyes, my child. You and your friend here should foster elsewhere; D're has already spoken to us and suggested that you should come to us for a while if you were ready and willing at any time. I'll open the place to a couple more girls and get you out. AND make a report on Josis' behalf to the Woodcrafter Hall" – for Vorinia had not left out how Josis came to be her drudge – "To demand fine on her behalf. And I'll ask the Harpers to slip a spy or two in there so it need not be your business any more; for they will judge if it needs reporting or not. Does that help?"

Vorinia nodded.

"Thank you sir; yes it does. Shall I tell daddy that I want to foster with you?"

"If he'll accept it after the fracas you caused with poor Avalanche" said Kaili "Not wishing to be casting it up in your face, but jays you were wishful t'do me an an ill turn."

"I shall suggest that I make myself agreeable to you to be eyes in your household" said Vorinia "He's envious of you, Holder Tragen, how you get so much productivity."

"And have you figured out why?" asked Tragen.

"That he should use fair words instead of curses and financial inducement instead of whippings? Oh yes" said Vorinia. "The atmosphere here is quite different – I could sense it this time. People sing and whistle about their work. It's spotless – not just cleaned where it notices. But he won't acknowledge it nor any fault in himself. Easier to believe that you have some secret threat to hold over people. Though I suppose" she sighed "I could write to him in reports what make the good atmosphere and HOPE to change his attitudes."

Tragen nodded.

"That's worth a try" he said, thinking to himself, even if only for this poor damaged filly to feel that she's done her best!


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

Holder Vorn heard with interest that Tragen and Kaili were thinking of taking fosterlings.

"And, daddy, I thought it might be useful if I went to keep my ear to the ground for you…. And, well, Queenrider L'rilly DID say I'd missed out not being with other girls….. and I though it might be nice to find out what she meant not too far away; it seemed quite providential."

"But my golden queen, don't you think that horrid Mulgan girl will pick on you?" said Vorn.

"If she does, it'll be noticed by others and she'll have to put up with being shunned by people wanting to foster; for I'd certainly spread it about" said Vorinia "Don't you think she'll chew on her own liver having to be nice to me?"

Holder Vorn smiled an unpleasant smile.

"And if she or Tragen insult you, we can claim compensation" he said "Some of his breeding stock might be nice, my sweet. A clever idea. Very well; I'll make enquiries"

"Thank you daddy" she said.

Her heart was pounding and she felt quite sick.

So short a time ago she might have tried to engineer an insult to get the compensation her father suggested! Now the thought was quite horrible – for Vorinia had really begun to think of others before herself!

She fought with herself to smile and kiss him, though part of her longed to rage at him as uncontrollably as ever she had once raged about Kaili; and the rest of her wanted to sob with disappointment about his motivations.

Getting away would be good; though Tragen had warned her it would not be until after Turnover, for Tragen was preparing for the winter racing and curling competition, and wanted his new fosterlings settled in before his NEXT racing venue at Nabol in Spring.

In the meantime, Vorinia had been husbanding her own allowance carefully, and put together all her jewels. Once she left here she might never return; and she wanted to be sure that she would not be destitute. She intended to back Josis; and once Tragen had made complaint to the Woodcrafter Hall, the girl's life would not be worth a thirtysecond under Vorn's roof. Tragen had agreed to wait until the girls came to him; and promised too to speak with his own woodcrafter to give Josis more training.

Vorinia did not doubt for one moment that anyone who worked for Tragen would be more than efficient.

oOoOo

Lambo's Field Hold did not rank a permanently assigned dragon – to Vorn's disgust – and they must travel to the Turnover Gather at High Reaches by troika. It had been agreed that Vorinia and her maid would travel back to Northfork with Tragen after the Gather; and she had her trunk of luggage with her too. Vorinia and Josis were much of a size, Josis a little taller and less curvaceous; but it was easy to alter for her such gowns as Vorinia had demanded and then found did not suit her; for colours that looked ill on Vorinia often were much better on Josis' different colouring! A bronze-green gown with brocaded fellis flowers in gold and bronze for example was a beautiful fabric, which had attracted Vorinia in the first place; but it made the younger girl look quite bilious. Yet it suited Josis and brought out the green in her eyes and bronze lights in her hair. It would be an excellent gown for her so that she need not feel shown up in front of any other Ranking girls.

"Are you sure you wish me to have this?" asked Josis "I'm still only a Journeyman's daughter even if I am reinstated to my proper rank in life."

"You're my friend" said Vorinia fiercely"And worth far more than – well than I was. You're a better person than any I know!"

Josis embraced her.

"Then thank you! Oh, but what are we going to do about old Lellianne?" she wondered.

"I was wondering if I could ask Caligar to sneak her out and over to Northfork" said Vorinia "Under the circumstances I'm sure Tragen will take her in."

Josis nodded, relieved.

"Good idea" she said "Perhaps before we leave? With a note from you explaining?"

Vorinia nodded; then there would be no chance of anything going wrong.

oOoOo

It was not to be necessary to engage Caligar in the subterfuge.

Lellianne was too frail now to do any work; and her duties were no more than a fiction, Josis and Vorinia doing them all in fact.

The cold weather had brought with it all the usual ailments; and the old woman succumbed, three days before the Hold party were due to leave for the Gather.

"What am I to do?" asked Vorinia in despair "I can't send her on ahead in that state; and I can't go off and leave her."

"Vorinia dear, she has death in her face" said Josis "We'll sit with her so she's not alone and keep her warm; she'll be gone before we leave. I've seen it often enough."

Vorinia wept; Lellianne had been too shy and subservient for the girl to get close to her, and pathetically and embarrassingly grateful, kissing Vorinia's hands whenever she saw her. But she was the last link to Davinda; and in some ways Vorinia was trying to treat the old woman as she might have wished Davinda to have been treated.

Lellianne slipped away quietly during the night; and Vorinia washed her and laid her out herself when drudges had carried the body down.

It was the duty of a Holder's wife or eldest daughter in any case; but not one the girl had ever performed before. She had never encountered death at first hand before; and it completed her growing up.

And those who assisted whispered that My Lady was not such a heartless porcine as her father if she could weep for one of her personal drudges!

oOoOo

Vorinia looked upon the Gather with new eyes on this visit. Always before she had considered such events there for the personal amusement of herself and others of Rank; and hated having to associate with the commons, and wondered that they were admitted!

Now she saw that Gathers were an event for all; a time to have fun for many, that would refresh them; and an opportunity to trade for others whether selling their own commodities or buying such things that their own communities could not provide. The games like curling and hurley were part of the holiday too, and a chance to compete for Hold pride; and the runner racing and troika racing partly the same and partly the opportunity for breeders like Tragen to show off their beasts as well as to hope to make marks on the betting and prizes. It was humbling to watch all the faces and see that expressions of pleasure, tiredness, greeting of old friends, cold, interest, venality and excitement were the same on the faces of the Ranking and commons alike, dragonfolk or crafters as much as holderfolk

Only some of the Ranking Holderfolk and senior Crafters seemed to hold the bored discontent on their faces she herself had once known; but there were disagreeable and discontented commons too. Only the Weyrfolk seemed immune to it; for she had not seen one that was marred by discontent.

The weyrfolk were out in force to make marks for their Childhold; and Vorinia rather tentatively asked a jolly-looking female Green Rider about it.

"Oh it started when V'ral brought in a baby who'd been abandoned for being illegitimate because her mother was afraid to tell her family" J'nara – for it was she – explained. "And L'exa – she was Lady Elexa then – told us how such unwanted babies were often put out with the ashes in big Holds or exposed to the elements elsewhere. And we'd had experience of children orphaned where cotholds were then seized and they became Holdless through no fault of their own, or whose crafts didn't care for them – or who didn't know their family craft SHOULD care for them, like our T'rin and Sh'rilla; and so they end up Holdless and begging, stealing or just dying. It is iniquitous; but there's no unified policy for orphans for it's up to each Hold. And of course some people expose of throw out those who are deformed in any way, whether they're born that way or get made disabled by illness or injury. Some crafters are bad about hiding the evidence of their own negligence if they know they deserve discipline from their craft."

Vorinia was more sensitive to the plight of orphans than she might have been without the friendship of Josis; and the idea of supporting them with donated crafts seemed a practical idea!

She bought some lace to trim gowns and a couple of prettily painted boxes – one each for herself and Josis – to put their trinkets in at Northfork.

She also paid for them both to have their likenesses drawn by the weyrartists, who were quick and accurate.

"You look happier than when you came to the Weyr" commented the Journeyman Artist "It makes you much prettier. I almost wanted to draw you then for you're lovely; but the temper lines had uglified you a little."

Nobody could accuse Geriana of tact when she was in the throes of drawing.

Vorinia pulled a rueful face, earning her an exclamation of protest from the artist!

"I learned a lot in my brief time at the Weyr" said Vorinia "You recognised me? I'm surprised; I was hardly there any time."

Geriana laughed.

"Oh it's my job to see more than skin deep" she said "What nice bones the both of you have! You'll both age gracefully you know if you can stay happy."

The old Vorinia would have taken offence at such a tactless reminder that one day she would grow old; the new Vorinia took the compliment as it was intended.

oOoOo

The first day of the Gather rounded off at midnight as the Turn ended and the two days between Turns began; it was celebrated with exploding startubes courtesy of the Minercraft; a spectacular display! Some people gasped with fear as the startubes whizzed skywards and burst with a bang into their coloured stars; you could tell which people were from small Holds and had never been to a Gather where such had been part of the entertainments before and found the unaccustomed detonations unnerving! Vorinia was entranced by the spectacle; she and Josis held hands watching; and this colourful celebration of the Turnover was almost a symbol of the new life they would be taking up as fosterlings!

oOoOo

The next day saw both curling and hurley matches. The smart money in the curling appeared to be on Tragen's team; with a new team from High Reaches Weyr attracting no little interest!

Vorinia put marks on the Weyr to reach the semi-final; and was glad she had not bet to reach the final or win outright when they played the semi-final matched against Northfork.

There was much banter between Weyr and Runnerhold, all good natured! Tragen's experienced team beat the dragonmen and went on to win; to the warm and genuine congratulations of the weyrfolk.

Lambo's Field Hold did field a hurley team; ice hurley was a rough, dangerous sport that appealed to Holder Vorn, who screeched at his team to lash the opposition with their hurley sticks and drive the puck into their faces. Vorinia had always watched with her father, rather more bored than anything else; and this time she noted the looks of disgust and contempt on the faces of those who stood by and heard her father's exhortations. That she burned with shame for it earned her one or two sympathetic smiles from those who saw her discomfort, especially those who did not already know her.

Vorinia was glad when her own Hold's team was soundly trounced in the third round by a bunch of wiry sailors from a northerly Hold called Lewis. They spoke and almost incomprehensible dialect and called her father a 'crabbit wee naif' whatever that might be; but it sounded most uncomplimentary.

oOoOo

The hail storm on the third day had the runner owners complaining about the cranky weather enjoyed – or otherwise – in the High Reaches regions; for weather such as that made the going too dangerous for the races.

The Weyr came to the rescue however; and it was an impressive sight to see the great dragons flaming to melt the track to refreeze for hard going of a flatter kind that would not damage the tender hooves of the runnerbeasts the way the hailstones would!

The crowd spontaneously got up a collection for the Childhold in gratitude to the dragonfolk for ensuring their racing; and and Tragen too was generous from his winnings.

It had been a good gather all round! Vorinia was excited and scared both at once as the day drew to a close; for on the morrow she and Josis would be on their way to Northfork!

oOoOo

Vorinia's reflectins were broken in on by an urchin of around eight turns old.

"Clean your boots lady, for a sixteenth?"

"Why, they'll soon get mucky again in the slush …are you an orphan then?" she asked sharply, thinking better of her initial refusal.

"Oh no lady! But my pa's recovering from a broken leg and ma's got a winter cough and five younger ones to feed; so I do work. I make a GOOD job of cleaning boots" he said wistfully.

Vorinia studied him. He was clean enough; and his poor clothing had been lovingly mended by some woman's careful hands, patching the elbows and knees and adding contrasting strips to sleeves to lengthen them and too matching additions to widen a tunic.

"Has your mother been to the healers?" she asked.

He shook his head.

"Can't afford them. We're cotholders, us; my big sister's doing all the farm chores, and me working the Gather."

It was not only orphans who might suffer then.

"What's your name?" she asked.

"Ludey, Lady. Say, if you ain't going to have your boots cleaned can I get off and find them what do want it?" he asked plaintively.

Vorinia felt in her pouch.

"You tell me where your cot is and I might have some sewing for your mother when she's well. In the meantime, take this because you're a good hardworking boy – and I respect that" she handed him ten marks.

Ludey's eyes widened.

"Lady – they're all WHOLE ones!" he said, pointing it out in case she had made a mistake.

"And little enough to the likes of me" said Vorinia. "I've been very unhappy until recently; making your family a little bit happier will be your Turnover gift to me as much as it is my Turnover gift to you – because I've been made happier by a friend and I want to pass on a friendly act. Do you understand?"

"Yeah…. I guess" Ludey was working on it. "I don't have to do nothin' unnatural?"

"Not at all! But if it allows you to have a healer to your mother, it'd be a good idea I think" said Vorinia "Now where is your cot?"

Ludey described it cheerfully; and Vorinia committed the way to memory.

Even a little paid sewing might make all the difference to a poor family, even though she and Josis were more than equal to their everyday needs.

She could start her new life by making up for previous slights and despites to the likes of Ludey – who would certainly have been backhanded impatiently by the old Vorinia!

Her cheeks gew hot at the thought.

"Lady?" Ludey asked.

"A memory of the things that made me unhappy before" said Vorinia "Nothing to concern you. Not run off and get something to eat – you look like you need it!"

The boy ran off; and Vorinia was glad at the jauntiness in his step.

She had saved carefully; and ten marks WAS nothing to her on her normal allowance. But she was fairly certain the boy's pride would not have let him accept more – even with the tale of a Turnover gift. And really, she reflected, it was no lie.

The small joy she had given him WAS a gift to her too, to take pleasure in the idea that his family would not be in such desperate straits in this cold weather!


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

Tragen was in the habit of openness and confiding in his people.

The small cheeky jockey grinned at Vorinia.

"Nice to meet the NEW lady Vorinia – we're glad the old one is dead and buried. I'm Morill, chief jockey; and it'll be my job to help you get to known the mount Tragen's chosen for you. She's a calm sort of mare most of the time, but she's got a bit of a sense of humour, that I hope you'll not take offence at."

"So long as it doesn't involve me coming off because she thinks it's funny" said Vorinia dryly, recovering from his frank greeting.

"Oh nothing like that!" assured Morill "She's a belly-puffer – those as can swell up their bellies so you fasten the girth and the saddle's loose when they breath out. If you're not warned you MIGHT come off from that, but once you know you just elbow her in the ribs so she breathes out and then tighten the girth. Simple! She might take you through a thicket to get leaves and twigs in your hair, or pretend she doesn't understand when you are trying to get her to go a way she doesn't want to go; you need to be firm. She's no VICES though. She's just a bit ornery at times and likes to remind you she has a mind of her own."

"Well suited to me then" said Vorinia dryly. "I HOPE I've no real vice left but I DO have a mind of my own."

Morill laughed.

"The gaffer probably took that into account!" he said. "She pinned me in the stable once, shifting her arse each time I tried to get past her, and I swear she was laughing; and then she farted. THEN she let me out and she was still laughing when I stumbled out coughing. I'd given her a dose of medicine you see; so Follyfeet was peeved with me."

"She was sick?"

"She'd stuffed herself with apples some idiot had left in reach and given herself a colic. Glad she were of the medicine at first, after we'd walked her all night. You can't let them lie down, you know; they moan, andd it looks cruel but you MUST keep a colicky runner standing, better, walking."

"Well greed isn't one of MY vices so she outdoes me there" said Vorinia "I – I'll try not to get impatient – or panicked. Keeping me in her stable would scare me rigid; and I think I'd get a bit…..well I'll try not to punish and screech, but you'll have to help me, Morill and help me curb any attempt to lash out if I get frightened and frustrated like that."

Morill nodded.

"Well, Lady Vorinia, I respect you the more for acknowledging that you might; and for asking aid to overcome it" he grinned at her. "Reckon you'll do just fine" he added.

Vorinia smiled tentatively back.

She had seen Tragen speaking with this man often in a friendly and familiar way; as he did with many of his people.

Evidently the Holder managed to balance friendliness with respect from his people; and this man's opinion was one he valued.

She determined to try to get on good terms with the mare Follyfeet!

oOoOo

Vorinia was a little nervous of getting to know Kaili; she recalled how horrible she had been to the girl and now her newly opened eyes cringed with shame.

Kaili ignored the past.

"Sure, it's hoping I am to get to know the both of yez" she said "And to help you to love runnerbeasts – well, I'm not expecting you to feel for them as I do, but at least I hope to give you the opportunity to feel comfortable with them."

"I've never ridden at all, Lady Kaili" said Josis "Except at the crupper of a groom accompanying Vorinia to dances or entertainments in other Holds."

"Well it's a couple of sevendays we'll be havin' to settle the pair of yez in before the others arrive, so I'll see personally to bringing ye on" said Kaili equably "And we'll be sending deposition to the Woodcrafter Hall and all. Will ye be wishful, Josis, of takin' on a woodcraft apprenticeship too? Our woodcrafter is willing under the circumstances to accept your late entrance."

Josis' eyes shone.

"Oh yes, if he is willing to have me I should love that!"

"Sure, and isn't Pettar a good man and competent too for all that he's not related to H'llon and one of the few woodcrafters as is not the way I hear it" said Kaili cheerfully if not entirely accurately. "Pettar knows all about you, so he does, and is holdin' back on reporting av it to my request until you're safe at home."

"H'llon? Would he have been Hallon? A couple of turns older than me?" asked Josis.

"Sure, and that's the one. Now are ye telling av me that ye're related to him too?" asked Kaili.

"Only very distantly" said Josis "We have a great grandfather in common I believe. And he's a dragonman now?"

Kaili laughed. It was a dirty little chuckle.

"Sure and he's only Weyrwoodcrafter Bronze Rider Flight Leader, me ghurrrl!" she said "Vorinia, me lovely, your father's in for a bad time f'sure; t'be mistreatin' the relative av a Bronze Rider's bad enough but a Bronze Rider with a sense av justice so well developed that me Lord Bargen's in the habit av askin' his advice – he'll not wriggle out av that hole in a hurry, so I'm thinkin'!"

"Good" said Vorinia "I've treated her badly myself – but she should never have been in a position where I could, and too I should have been taught self control so nobody was in a position where I would."

"Yes me ghurrlie, so ye should; but I cannot talk for its spoilt I was too and not curbed enough. We both got over it, and sure, we both have tempers; so let's make pact while we're both calm t'forgive each other for things said in heat past or future; it's thinkin' I am that we'll likely have the odd spat yet!"

"That's a really nice idea!" exclaimed Vorinia "If we determine that we KNOW what it's like to fly and that we say things we don't mean, it'll be easier to stay friends – and to try not to fly in the first place!"

"And I'll bang both your heads together said Josis cheerfully "Metaphorically or physically."

"You do that" said Kaili, grinning.

oOoOo

When they reached Northfork, the girls mucked in to help unload sleds and cool runners; though the grooms jealously guarded the care of the beasts they might pass coolers and drying cloths and armsfull of straw alongside the stable boys. Most of Tragen's people did not recognise Vorinia; and it was to stay that way. Those who did know who she was were sworn to silence and told of her change of heart and asked to give her a break; and if some, like Kirissa, were sceptical, the little cook and general factotum certainly intended giving Vorinia every chance – or enough rope to hang herself, which ever happened.

The older stable boys were inclined to try to chat up the girls of course, especially a boy called Ennis, whose dark good looks and bright ivory smile seemed to expect response.

Vorinia was not looking for romance; especially with a studied charmer.

She knew her father could be just as charming when he chose.

She chose instead to chat to a big, freckled young man named Jado who had blurted out that he had never seen anyone prettier than her and then lapsed into embarrassed silence.

On the subject of runnerbeasts he was much less tongue-tied however; and explained in great – and it has to be said somewhat tedious – detail the bloodlines of all the bloodlines of all the animals that had raced.

Vorinia listened with every appearance of interest whilst absorbing other details of the Hold she could as yet see.

The racing stables held a dozen beasts or more, in addition to perhaps an hundred other beasts of various types in the working stables. The greater volume of the Hold was given over to runnerbeasts; and the majority of the holderfolk seemed concerned in their care in one way or another. There were more than three hundred people here, Vorinia knew; relatively small in number for so prosperous a Hold, but as many more at least living independently yet beHolden in cotholds to provide food for the main Hold. It was an unusual arrangement; they had more autonomy that Holdbound farmers working for a Hold such as she was used to, who produced food for the Hold and were given their needs in communal eating halls; the cotholders here provided half of their produce for the Hold and half for their own use but all expenses were born by Tragen and relief given in times of poor harvest. That way each man was responsible for his own wage; and Vorinia had never seen such prosperous, well-kept cots!

This Hold differed from many too in that most Holds were built into cliffs, any excess byres and stables built outside. Here the runnerbeasts were housed in caves in the low cliffs of the shallow valley, tack rooms and haylofts on a second level, and some quarters for stable boys: also the smithy and the smith and his assistant live in caves and the woodcrafter's halls and accommodations. The whole cliff face had a covered verandah along it that turned sharply as a covered way running to the main Hold which was a free standing stone building that rambled into several wings obviously built on and added to from time to time. To go to the stables during Threadfall would mean crossing in sight of Thread along the covered way. Obviously as Threadfall was not of long duration this would be an unlikely situation to arise; few things would arise that would not permit a wait until Fall had passed over. Even so, it meant that it was possible to do it.

Vorinia shuddered. It would be terrifying.

It would also be good training to stand in the covered way to observe Thread if she and Josis hoped to Impress.

"We'll need to learn to use flamethrowers" she said to Jado "If we're to learn to walk sweep."

Jado grinned.

"From a protective family, huh? That's easy to arrange. Miss Kai – the Lady Holder that is – will show you how. And if you're unhandy there's always agenothree projectors. Thread in three sevendays; plenty of time to learn how!"

"Are we walking sweep?" asked Josis doubtfully.

"We may as well see if we can MANAGE to face Thread if we want to Impress" said Vorinia "If we can't cope after trailing edge has gone over and dealing with it on the ground, we've no business to even think of facing it dragonback."

Josis nodded.

"Of course; I hadn't thought about it. Of course if I'd been at the Woodcrafter Hall I'd be walking sweep DURING Fall not as soon as it's passed."

"We all go out before the all clear here, but still right after trailing edge" said Jado "We assemble in the runway – it's what we call that covered open way – you see; and watch for it to go over."

"Oh that's sensible" said Josis. "What if it's windy?"

"Tragen puts up shutters the side the wind's blowing from" said Jado "No point taking risks; but he likes his people to face the fearful."

"Well I've found out that facing fears helps you overcome them" said Vorinia. "And those who grow up here I suppose just take Thread as much for granted as the Weyrbred?"

"I guess so" said Jado "I'm sort of bred here; Morill found me and my brother Kren sheltering in a bothy turns ago: I was just a little kid. He fostered us and we grew up here."

"It seems a good place to grow up" said Vorinia, trying not to sound envious.

"It is!" agreed Jado enthusiastically "Now we've finished here – I reckon Miss Kai'll want to show you to your room."

oOoOo

The room Kaili had prepared as a dormitory was light and airy with a big window at one end. Three beds on each side with presses beside them were there, all with gay patchwork quilts.

"I thought you two would-be weyrwomen might be wantin' t' take the two window beds" said Kaili "We don't shutter here during Fall, the frames are sheathed in lead and the eaves are deep too: but there's a heavy curtain if it disturbs anyone, and against the cold. Ye've a sitting room too, just for you ghirrls; its chimney warms this room on one side, and to the other is a bathing room and the necessaries off it. There's a boiler over a closed stove in the bathing room and a tap t' draw water from it for baths; and here's Maysa who's to see to keeping your fires in for yez and wash up the klah mugs and kettle ye'll have in the sitting room; and she'll keep the floors clean. Ye're responsible for keeping yerselves tidy and fer strippin' the bedlinen every other sevenday when it's too cold for a good dry, and every sevenday when the weather improves. There's a basket for dirty linen. Maysa will take it to be washed and return it. She'll make up clean beds with fresh linen when ye've stripped it, but ye'll be responsible for makin' yer own beds in the mornin's. afther airin' them. There's a press in the bathing room with clean bedlinen and another for exthra blankets, furs and quilts. Your clothes ye take from the clean basket, and put away for yerselves, and if ye've not marked yer underlinen I suggest ye sew a coloured thread t'mark what's yours."

"That's a good idea" said Josis "We'll do that after supper."

"Good. Klah is ready in the dining hall from half past five in the morning, breakfast from seven" said Kaili.

"Heh" said Vorinia "I'm thinking it may be a shock to those who can't shift so much for themselves."

Kaili blinked.

"What d'ye mean? I've not asked much"

Vorinia grinned, just a trifle nastily.

"My good Kaili, before Josis taught me, I'd never have a clue how to make my own bed; nor do anything with dirty clothing save leave it on the floor to be picked up for me. And I'd have thought it beneath me to strip a bed for washing! And my breakfast came to me in bed, sometime around nine in the morning!"

Kaili shrugged.

"I'm not putting my people out more than is necessary for a pack of girls who are here to learn Hold management not to be decorative. Ye'll see little enough of Maysa too; because I don't want one of my drudges put upon by whatever else we may have coming. I don't think a little shifting for themselves is going to kill our guests."

Vorinia chuckled.

"Well if it is a shock they'll soon learn" she said. "Have you the days mapped out for us too?"

"Sure, I was thinking of Harper-led lessons in music and history from nine for an hour or two, then a ride or walk, and after lunch some sewing or music or dancing lessons and perhaps another walk and the evenings free; and once a sevenday spending the whole day at laundry, cooking and other household tasks such as a woman needs to Hold, and some as which I had to learn too t'be sure" said Kaili. "It's bein' gentle with the lot o' yez I'm havin' t' be, for I knew how t' shift, even if I'd not the skills av everythin'."

"Accounting and management lessons?" suggested Vorinia, who had enjoyed learning from Olban "I had started some lessons."

"Sure and will it not be under household management" said Kaili calmly "One ghirl is keen, so I'm told, t'train as her great uncle's stable head; and she'll be workin' wit' the boys before dawn. Ye'll not have throuble wit' her I'm thinkin'; she sounds willing. The others'll just have to lean"

Vorinia grinned.

"Well we're accustomed to rise early and hustle too" she said "I'm not so good as Josis – but SHE'LL be off to the woodcrafter hall here. I'm a dab hand at laundering delicates though" she added.

Kaili brightened

"Then ye'll be a valuable help t' the laundry so you will; we don't do delicates here as a rule!"

and that, reflected Vorinia, could be taken in more than one way!


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

Vorinia was quickly in Tranora's good books, and those of her niece, Norana, the laundress, when she demonstrated how to deal with delicate fibres like brocade, removing a stain from Kaili's wedding gown, that was to be made over for Kirissa to wear when she wed Morill in the Spring, for it was a crying shame to waste good brocade! Kirissa's aunt Marilly had come to an accommodation with Tranora, for the headwoman was the better seamstress; they had put aside their largely friendly rivalry over the upcoming wedding and Tranora had hoped to make the gown smaller for the diminutive cook Kirissa without cutting into it, that it might be let out again for the next person to use it! However, this would have meant, without Vorinia's intervention, sewing a grease stain into a seam, and that would have asked for mildew!

Vorinia however knew and was able to demonstrate that as well as lifting the worst of the grease out into a rag with a hot iron – which Tranora had managed already – the last part of the stain might be rubbed with a mix of fuller's earth and lye and soaked overnight in warm white wine vinegar before washing out in warm water. Tranora was delighted!

"Silly fools have no care at a nuptial feast" she sighed "However careful the bride may be, some fool always spills grease or wine into fine cloth!"

oOoOo

Josis meanwhile settled happily in with Journeyman Pettar; the man was working towards Mastery and his senior apprentice, his nephew Redlan, a lad of sixteen turns, was heading for the status of Journeyman. Redlan found himself tongue-tied around a pretty girl, tough he did manage some conversation about his craft!

Pettar had married a craftbred girl, and Redlan was her sister's boy, fostered since his own mother had died birthing him. Pettar had taken on fosterage of the boy when he married Redissa, and Redlan almost looked on Pettar as his father. Pettar was a cheerful and patient man, with an understated sense of humour; and Josis found him very easy to work for.

That she had an aptitude helped! She had learned some crafting from her father, and though she had not thought of it as much, being only a preparation for apprenticeship, much came back to her that she had heard her father say and watched him do in addition to her own basic tool training and she was perhaps more able to apply that than she would have been able to at thirteen.

Josis loved her work! It was all very exciting and she put in all the hours that Pettar would permit!

"If you work hard, reckon you can catch up and make journeyman in a couple of turns" he said "And if you go to the Weyr you'll have a good Master there in Journeyman Acting-Master H'llon."

Josis blessed her luck; and was shrewd enough to realise that part of it came from her willingness to forgive Vorinia and stand her friend!

H'llon had come to renew acquaintance with an almost forgotten cousin and hear her story at first hand. He was incandescent with fury at Holder Vorn's treatment of the craftbred girl!

Being Josis' cousin as well as being who he was in terms of being both Woodcrafter and Bronze Rider, H'llon asked D're to come and witness her deposition, as well as the Northfork Hold Harper and her new Journeyman master; and Holder Tragen.

Armed with so many impressive signatories to the document the Harper drew up of the deposition he went first to see Master Bendarek; then took the Masterwoodcrafter to see Lord Bargen as Holder Vorn's overlord.

oOoOo

H'llon came back to Northfork a few days after first visiting and asked to speak to both girls.

Being H'llon he came to the point when they were called into Tragen's office to speak to him.

"Vorinia" he said "I have news of your father that may shock you."

Vorinia gasped.

"He didn't try to attack a Bronze Rider surely?" she said "He – he'd be capable if he was enraged, I know, but….."

H'llon shook his head quickly.

"No dragonman was involved; my Craftmaster complained, with my word too, and the document you, Josis, signed, on behalf of my cousin Josis, to Lord Bargen. Vorinia, your father became enraged and attempted to attack Lord Bargen."

"He – he's dead then? My father?" Vorinia looked stunned; she was not sure what to feel about that.

"Oh no! Lord Bargen's men restrained him; and as he was obviously insane, he is under confinement at the Healer Hall in Fort" said H'llon. He did NOT say that he strongly suspected Lord Bargen of having engineered Vorn's loss of control through carefully chosen words in order to be able to thus declare him insane.

Vorinia sat down heavily.

"You know I think he has always been insane" she said candidly "It – it explains a lot. Am – am I supposed to go and take charge?"

H'llon shook his head.

"Lord Bargen does not expect it of you; you have never received the proper training, He's put your steward Olban in charge; you can go back if you don't Impress of course if you want to; and I rather suspect that Lord Bargen would hint strongly that you then marry Olban. He has his prejudices about females Holding, though he's a good, fair man generally."

"Not hardly would I marry Olban! I can bully him!" said Vorinia horrified "Besides he's old – almost forty!"

"Well if you Impress you won't have to choose" said H'llon cheerfully "But if I were you, I'd learn all you can here first."

"I will" said Vorinia "Thank you H'llon. Do I pay Josis her award for damages?"

"No; it will come from your father's personal monies – Bargen awarded three turns worth of apprentice training and three turns journeyman's wages as she'd be expected to earn; three times three hundred and three times seven hundred marks – plus an additional thousand marks for her misery. So four thousand marks in total. It'll get there when it gets there I'm afraid; Olban has better things to do than investigating Vorn's goods while you're safe and well, little cousin."

"No hurry" said Josis. "That much? Really?"

"It's what's due" said H'llon grimly "He'd have awarded more than the additional thousand but he did not want to beggar the Hold – or Vorinia."

"Me he could forget" said Vorinia "So long as the fosterage fees are paid. I can work for my living now if need be; and Josis is owed."

"Well, it's sorted anyhow" said H'llon "I'll come by and see you again, little cousin" and he ruffled Josis' hair before striding off to return to the Weyr.

oOoOo

As Vorinia said, having H'llon for a relative also settled the hash of any other fosterlings who might turn up their noses at having the daughter of a Journeyman fostering with them.

They could scarcely, after all, complain about sharing with the relative of a Bronze Rider.

She then roared with laughter and had to explain to Josis that the joke was at her own expense; for the younger Vorinia had found that what had really rankled about Kaili was the Rank that derived from her brother D're's Impression of Bronze Esruth.

"After having had a good telling off by Tragen for expecting people to drudge for me; and discovering what I took to be a a scruffy rankless boy was a VERY Ranking fosterling girl! I'm glad Kaili's put it behind her – I was such a little idiot!"

"You didn't get given much chance to be anything else" said Josis "At least Davinda gave you some rules when you were little – or you'd have been as insane as Vorn!"

Vorinia looked sober.

"Or if I'd not had the sharp shock in the Weyr" she said. "D're told me if I didn't learn self control I'd do something really terrible; and my father managed to! At least it wasn't a Rider he attacked; he'll have to be restrained in the Healer Hall but at least it'll be warm and he'll be fed and protected – not like being banished to the Eastern Isles!" she shuddered.

oOoOo

Vorinia had little time to brood on her father's fate, for it was time for the other girls who would be fostering to begin arriving and she must help them settle in.

The first to arrive was a tall, elegant girl of about Vorinia's own age. She introduced herself as Tirreysa of Reedmere Hold, which meant nothing to Vorinia save a vague knowledge of its position.

"Of course" said Tirreysa loftily "I have had fosterlings before at home; but they were only children, and besides they were no REAL fosterlings being only Meronspawn. Mother made them drudge for us, naturally, to teach them their place, until one of the ungrateful creatures ran away to the Weyr and somehow persuaded them to take the other. I don't know what the Weyr would want with them as CANDIDATES as they said they were to be; I would be a better candidate myself, naturally."

Josis and Vorinia exchanged looks.

"Maybe the WEYR" said Josis "Felt them better able to be judged on their own merits than a matter of who their father was."

Tirreysa swept her with a look and turned to Vorinia.

"Really one does not wish to listen to the opinion of an apprentice brat with no appreciation of Rank" she said.

"You poor fool" said Vorinia "Josis is far more qualified to discuss the Weyr than you since she has a better idea; her cousin's a Bronze Rider Flightleader. That outRanks you, sweetie, like it outranks me since we're only daughters of Minor Holds."

Tirreysa plainly did not like that; but shrugged.

"Well sorry I'm sure; you should wear weyrknots if you don't want to be assumed just to be an apprentice."

"I prefer to show my craft that I share with my cousin thank you" said Josis "And prove that I know how to do an honest day's work already; even if you do not. Unless you're here to learn runnerbeast care in which case I take it back."

Tirreysa curled her lip.

"What, stink of the stables? You must be joking! I hate the creatures. They have their uses but if I never come closer to one than driving in a buggy I'll be well pleased" she drawled.

"Why are you fostering at a Runnerhold then?" asked Vorinia bluntly.

"Because Tragen is rich and influential, obviously!" Tirreysa opened her eyes in surprised scorn "I'll make good contacts, I hope, with others he knows, including Weyr ones. Those brats and their outsize words and impudent manner will soon get thrown out and the Weyr will see its mistake."

Josis and Vorinia exchanged another look.

Kaili had entertained them with tales of the Weyr – and for Josis' sake, especially those involving H'llon and his apprentices – and they had heard of the two wordy daughters of Meron, but had hitherto failed to connect them with Tirreysa'a description.

"You mean Green Rider Harper I'linne and Woodcrafter Ipominea I suppose" said Josis "The latter is my cousin's apprentice being too young to stand for Impression yet. Well I definitely think you have an odd view of life, Tirreysa."

"Oh is she one of the stupid creatures they played word games with? How tedious for the rest of us" Vorinia yawned deliberately. "Ah well; if you pull your weight we'll do our best to be civil to you sweetie"

There was something quite offensive in the way she used the word 'sweetie'.

Tirreysa ground her teeth; but not being clever could not think of a suitable retort!

Vorinia knew that there was no point even trying to help someone to overcome the disadvantages of being spoilt unless they could be brought to realise – and care – that it made them unpopular; and made no effort to conceal her contempt.

oOoOo

Next to arrive was a girl called Miresa. Her hold was called Flaxmeadow, somewhere between a large extended family cotholding and a small Hold; and though nominally independent it was more or less beHolden to Northfork, and maintained close ties.

Miresa inspected the dormitory and bathing arrangements and found them suitable, as she put it. She looked quite grown up; and Vorinia realised she was older even than nineteen-turn old Josis, and wondered that she should be fostering so old.

Miresa gave an answer to that.

"I'm looking forward to learning more about different kinds of runnerbeast here, and the breeding and training of them" she confided "My brother-in-law hopes to expand his stables and I shall hope to help him in that."

"Well it's backbreaking and dirty work but if you're fond of runners I suppose it'll be worth it" said Vorinia.

Miresa stared.

"Backbreaking and dirty? What do you mean?"

"Well, mucking out, all the care runners need to keep them healthy – I don't enjoy it much myself, I can tell you! But it's necessary to know how."

"Oh I shan't be doing anything like THAT" said Miresa airily "I intend to direct others to the more menial tasks."

Vorinia laughed.

"Tragen doesn't PERMIT anyone to direct until they've done a stint as stable boy, jockeys included!" she said "Not even his own wife! Kaili did the dirty work too at first you know!"

Miresa looked horrified.

"But – but I've Rank now my sister is married to a Holder! Surely I can't be expected to DRUDGE?"

"Tragen says no Holder is in his rights to ask any man to do what he cannot do himself" said Vorinia "It's different to the way I was raised; but I like the idea and I approve."

"How were you raised?" asked Miresa.

"Oh to be a lazy brat who never did a hand's turn and relied on drudges. And let me tell you for free – and this goes for you, Tirreysa too – I'm a lot happier now knowing that I'm capable of turning a good day's work than I was bored and useless. Oh and Tirreaysa, if you DO plan to go to the Weyr, you should know that candidates work fardling hard; it's worth preparing. That's what I'm doing; hoping to be fit enough not to be tired with the work."

"Nonsense!" snapped Tirreysa "Besides I'm waiting for a Golden Queen."

"Queenriders work hard too – harder because they have a bigger dragon to care for. And all candidates are treated as equals – unless they are crafters who are given more respect" said Vorinia "Just a word to the wise."

Tirreysa pulled a sneer; and Vorinia, fighting her temper clenched her fists and walked away. The girl really wasn't receptive to be told!

"Well I don't want to go to the Weyr" said Miresa "I'll leave that to my idiot niece Mireela who's dragon mad and is talking of apprenticing as a weaver of all things if she doesn't Impress!"

"No reason she shouldn't apprentice anyway" said Josis "As Vorinia mentioned they like candidates to be crafters or at least to have other skills, you know."

Miresa shrugged.

"Whatever" she said disinterested.

Josis and Vorinia exchanged a look of dismay.

Neither of the two fosterlings so far were particularly prepossessing!

oOoOo

Glenayse arrived while they were still sharing the look, coming on dragonback which made the two old hands hurry to greet a newcomer. Having quickly thanked the dragon and rider, Glenayse was busy staring about with delight at all the runners. She looked to be about Vorinia's own age.

"I'm Glenayse" said she "Grandniece of Holder Priarish of Three Rivers hold; happy to be his stablehead after training here."

"You know that Tragen expects all his people to get down and dirty with mucking out and such if they hope to learn runnerbeast care?" asked Vorinia, watching in resignation for a look of horror.

To her pleasant surprise it did not come. Indeed Glenayse laughed!

"Oh of course! I already muck out at home, of course, and curry the beasts; and I can walk a colic; but there's so much more to learn. Ah" she dropped her voice "I see two rather precious ornaments do I?"

She flicked her eyes to Tirreysa and Miresa who had also come to see the dragon, if less interested in the passenger once it became apparent she was not dressed in the most extravagant finery.

Vorinia grinned.

"You have the situation perfectly" she said "Still I guess they might learn; I have."

"You muck out?" Glenayse asked.

"If I have to. I prefer laundry and sewing duties personally but I know how to care for the beasts now, at least in broad. Though I'd not want to have to deal with a colic without expert help I must say" she added honestly.

"Well I'll know there's a couple who can hustle – Josis wasn't it? – obviously has a craft and looks pretty capable. My great uncle has no time for space wasters and fools."

"Well maybe you'll help us to help them to learn" said Vorinia "I had to learn that I needed to learn; and I'm happier for it, I can tell you!"

"Well I'll agree to help you give it a try" said Glenayse, dubiously. "But if you ask me, they have to realise that they're miserable before you can teach them that to be useful will make them happy."

"Well it worked for me; so I have to try to pass it on" said Vorinia earnestly, rewarded by a hug from Josis.

Glenayse shrugged.

"You can lead a runnerbeast to water but you can't make it drink" she repeated the old saw philosophically.


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8**

The final girl to arrive also came by dragon, with a young female Green Rider.

This girl was younger than all the others and looked upset and angry. Vorinia again took responsibility for greeting her; the others seemed to accept her taking charge.

"Come inside, it's getting cold out" said Vorinia. "I'm Vorinia; the others are Josis, Glenayse, Tirreysa and Miresa. You'll have a bed in the middle, the others are picked. You're here to train with runnerbeasts?"

The girl shook her head.

"I'm here to learn Hold Management inland style before I'm married off" she said "I've been granted a half turn stay of execution as you might say."

Vorinia pulled up short.

"But – but you're not as old as I am!"

"I'm fifteen; and told I'm indulged to have been allowed to wait so long" said the girl bitterly. "I'm Irette, by the way; and my Grandfather's an old porcine."

"WELL! He sounds like it!" said Vorinia "Do you have to choose a husband as soon as you get back then?"

"Where were YOU raised? He's been chosen for me a Turn since!" cried Irette. "And he's old and has buck teeth and I imagine he uses them to gnaw through his precious trees like loggerbeasts do with their horny plates!" she added bitterly.

"That's bad!" sympathised Vorinia, horrified. "Look, my friend Josis has a cousin at the Weyr, he's Weyrwoodcrafter and Bronze Rider – why don't you escape this aged bridegroom by going to the Weyr?"

"Grandfather wouldn't let me" said Irette, angrily "He says our Hold has given too many women to the Weyr – there's four Green Riders and T'alla's mother – T'alla brought me – and a Blue Rider too, but as he's a boy it's an honour and so different. I wish I was in Tular's family and nor Ranking. Then I'd be let go."

"Heh, that's EASY!" said Vorinia "There'll be another clutch soon and lady Kaili's brother is a Bronze Rider too; what more natural than that the Riders Search his sister's hold?"

"Is – could they?"

"Of course" said Vorinia "And anyone is entitled to ask to go to the Weyr; so long as they pull their weight while they're there. And Search can take anyone providing they are willing."

"Well I shall certainly think on that! Oh THANK you Vorinia!" the younger girl gave her an impulsive hug and kiss.

"Of course they expect candidates to work hard to do their chores at the weyr – and Tragen doesn't like slacking either" cautioned Vorinia.

Irette shrugged.

"I can hustle as well as any, I guess" she said "Though it feels so strange without the sound of the sea. And so COLD!"

"Didn't it get cold by the sea?" asked Vorinia "I should have thought that on a boat with spray and stuff it'd be bitter."

"Oh yes it is…but it's got a kind of BITE here you know, even in dry clothes."

Vorinia shrugged.

"I guess that we notice what we're not used to" she said.

oOoOo

Kaili assembled the girls and went through the dormitory rules once again; which were received in horror by Tirreysa and Miresa.

"But Lady Kaily, why should we have to DRUDGE?" whined Tirreysa.

"Sure, and ef ye're thinkin' that so small a piece of chores is drudging, ye do not know what a drudge does, so ye don't!" said Kaili "But if any of yez skimp on it, ye'll be finding out what a drudge does do for a day ef I have t' speak to anyone twice; and appreciate what hard work it is that ye'll not be bein' so discourteous enough again t'be adding t' the worrrk av me people. And another thing" she added "Speakin' av courtesy; the boiler holds enough for four buckets of hot water each; no more. Any girl that exceeds her allowance will bathe in cold fer three days and I'll be enforcin' av it ef I think there's any deficiency in honour over takin' the punishment properly. Ye're on yer honour to use only your share. Ye can share the tub and double up o'course; that's your own right t' come to such an arrangement. And if you're so slovenly as t'leave your clothes lying about, they'll come t'me so they will; and ye'll have t'ask fer them back. I'll not have a bunch of lazy feckless ninnies in my hold t' be sure; you're here to learn to be good wives or weyrwomen or stablestewards; and ye'll learn or suffer in the attempt. Conversely, I'm always ready for anyone with throubles that need advice or just sympathy; fer I'm not lackin' in it. Vorinia is head av the dormitory, Josis is to be her deputy. You'd be head, dear" she said to Josis "But you've a lot to concentrate on right now."

"Oh Vorinia does command better than me anyhow" said Josis "More habit of it."

Kaili nodded.

"Well so long as ye'll not take offence. The lot av ye may stay up an extra hour afther supper if ye've a mind to get to know each other" she added "I'll not be rousing you until seven av the morning; ye can have a lie in."

"Uh, Lady Kaili, that doesn't make sense" said Miresa.

"What doesn't, me dharlin' ghirl?" asked Kaili.

"You – you said we should have a lie in but that you'd rouse us at seven. That's not a lie in!"

"Sure, and it is here" said Kaili "Save for Glenayse, none of yez are required normally to rouse before six; Glenayse'll be up at the crack t'be tendin' the beasts accordin' to our agreement."

Glenayse nodded cheerfully; she seemed happy with that arrangement.

oOoOo

When Kaili left, Tirreysa turned on Vorinia.

"That – that's INIQUITOUS! Do you really put up with it!"

"Of course. Though Josis and I are accustomed to rising earlier than six; we'll be up with Glenayse, though to our duties" said Vorinia. "It's the best part of the day you know. And watching the sun rise is often a most beautiful thing."

"Well I shan't do it!" declared Tirreysa.

"I doubt you'll enjoy the consequences"warned Vorinia "But that's your business. Unless Kaili expects me to get you up. I'll go and ask her."

"Heh heh, one at each end and throe her in a tub full of cold water?" suggested Glenayse.

Tirreysa gave a shriek.

"You WOULDN'T!"

"Only if you let us down by lazing around" said Vorinia "Unless Kaili has her own methods."

oOoOo

Kaili assured Vorinia that indeed she did have her own methods; that the others were not going to be responsible for any bad behaviour of one of their number nor for the laziness of any.

"It might mean extra washing for you, but I'm thinkin' you'd not mind fer the curin' of lazy lumps" she grinned.

"What do you mean?" asked Vorinia.

"Ye'll see" said Kaili, grinning wickedly.

oOoOo

The drudge Maysa entered the girls' dormitory next morning to rouse Glenayse to find her knuckling her eyes and two girls already up.

"There's no hot water yet, I'm guessing?" asked Vorinia in an undertone.

"No lady; but Miss Glenayse'll want a wash more after being at the stables" said Maysa. "There's klah this first morning set out in the sitting room, and lukewarm water in the bathing room for a quick splash. It'll heat again for when you get back."

"Thank you" said Vorinia "Share a bucket to wash our faces, girls?"

The other two nodded. Josis too would welcome a bath later; as most recent apprentice her task was to sweep the floor of the workshop and wipe up spilled glue that had not been dealt with promptly; and sweeping sawdust always left her with a dry prickly feeling.

Vorinia looked forward to a morning bath more to ease aches; she was not expected to help with the ordinary laundry, to preserve her hands for sewing, but she made herself useful hanging up washing and sundry other tasks from inventorying linen to polishing silver in addition to mending.

Vorinia was first up to bath, followed by Josis as she was heaving water for the tub.

"Share?" suggested Vorinia "And as we're the cleanest we'll empty some off for Glenayse to top up with hot for a deep hot one."

"Sounds good" said Josis.

They had bathed quickly when Glenayse arrived; and she readily and gratefully accepted the suggestion to leave still warm water in the tub to supplement her hot!

"We can make this a habit" said Vorinia "We rise at the same time, it's only now just past six, I reckon, and they'll have to wait."

"And not due up for another hour. What shall we do?" asked Glenayse, vigorously finishing drying her hair.

"Well for my part I was thinking about klah until the first breakfasts are ready" said Vorinia. "Then we could show you around until nine when we're to be with the Harper: Josis has that time allowed her from her apprenticeship."

"That's wht I like to be doing my cleaning chores early" said Josis "Rather than start at eight as is normal and break for Harper's lessons. He'll have to find out how much everyone knows I guess."

"Well I'm well versed in history and all the duty songs" said Glenayse. "My Great Uncle is quite strict about education."

"He sounds a good sort" said Josis.

"He is. She looks such a fussy little man, but he's nobody's fool" said Glenayse with obvious affection.

"I say, let's not go out until Kaili demonstrates how she makes the lazy ones rise!" said Vorinia suddenly "Breakfast from seven – reckon she'll give us long enough to eat and herself too before rousting them out!"

Josis grinned.

"Reckon it'll be more than a cold sponge I sometimes had to use on you?" she asked.

"Well she spoke about extra washing….oh here comes food, Kirissa darling, I love you, I'm famished!"

"Get away with you!" said Kirissa laughing.

Tragen's dining hall used charcoal-warmed chafing dishes to keep a variety of foods warm; hot rolls, toasted bread, kidneys, rashers of bacon, cheese bread, fungi of various kinds – dried for over the winter and rehydrated, or grown in the caverns near the stables for the common kind – boiled river-grains with a choice of dried fruit and sugar or ewesmilk cheese to mix in with it, and mutton or pork sausage cakes. Klah was plentiful, and bread and preserves to spread on it if required. No-one went hungry under Tragen, and the Hold breakfast fortified a man all morning however hard he worked. Those with heavy tasks were encouraged to fill bread rolls with bacon or sausage to take with him for a snack: and fruit and rolls were available in the dining hall, like klah, all day for anyone who needed extra sustenance. It was no wonder that Tragen had the happiest, most willing workforce in all the High Reaches.

Vorinia noted Glenayse making mental notes as suggestions to her Great Uncle: and reflected what a good Holder he ust be that she felt able to do so!

oOoOo

It may be said that, although the girls made a good breakfast, it was rather hurried; for the girl Maysa leaned over Kaili and spoke to her. Kaili had sat down with a group of jockeys and seemed to be discussing something earnestly with them; ans she pulled a face at Maysa's words. Irette slid into the Hall, saw the others, brightened and joined them.

"The other two won't get up" she said "I guess I was tired to sleep in to seven! But Maysa woke me, and the others, and that Tirreysa slapped her which was most unfair for just doing her job; but Maysa slapped her right back and told her Miss Kai don't like that sort of behaviour! You reckon Maysa'll get into trouble?"

"Doubt it" said Vorinia. "If I know Kaili at all she gave the girl orders to do just that. Kaili doesn't take any nonsense about spoilt brats. Ah, she's going up. No, Irette, my child, you can sit here and eat your breakfast nicely – you're too young to watch and gloat on the discomfort of your elders. We'll tell you about it later."

Irette pulled a face but obediently sat down again.

The food was good and plentiful;; and of intense interest to a growing girl.

Kaili went outside and collected a small pot before going up to the girls' dormitory.

The three slid into the sitting room and eased the door that gave to the bedroom just open enough to eavesdrop shamelessly.

oOoOo

"Are yez ill?" demanded Kaili. "For it's half past the hour I set fer yez to rise."

Her voice was loud.

"We're not going to!" said Tirreysa "And I want to report that drudge of yours for slapping me!"

"Aye, t'be sure I left orders to return blow fer blow" said Kaili calmly. "Did I hear ye defyin' me?"

"It's not right!" moaned Miresa.

"Not right? Sure, and how do yez expect to run y'own household one day if yez cannot shift to rise and learn t'run it? Are YOU defyin' me too? And you past ghirlhood and a woman old enough t' know better?"

"We're neither of us shifting til we feel like it" said Tirreysa stubbornly.

"No? then I wager ye'll feel like shifting into that bathing room in twenty heartbeats flat" said Kaili grimly.

There was a cry, the sound of bedclothes shifting and a sudden shriek of horror, disgust and anger from Tirreysa. A rather pervasive smell drifted through the crack of the door.

"And let's pour as much runner dung on our other rebel, shall we?" said Kaili cheerfully.

There were similar names in Miresa's voice.

oOoOo

The three behind the door held each other shaking with stifled giggles, and looks of horrified mirth.

"Runnerdung! I should think that they WOULD get up and wash!" giggled Vorinia. "Now that's an incentive!"

"Oh my yes!" agreed Glenayse. "Oh what I would have given to see Tirreysa's face!"

"Oh I don't know – with all those sneer lines, it's not nearly so pretty a sight as she thinks it is at the best of times!" said Josis. "Oh! RUNNERDUNG!" and she collapsed in more giggles.

"Yez ghirls can get away with yez now" Kaili's voice came through the door. Ye bad creatures t'be laughing at anither's misfortune!"

Still laughing the girls retreated to go for their walk!

"Reckon it'll cure them?" asked Josis.

"Reckon it's have got ME up in my worst of days in self defence!" said Vorinia fervently. "Spoilt I may have been, stupid I never was!"


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9**

Irette had finished breakfast by the time the three came down; and asked if she might come with them to see the lie of the land where they were to be living.

"Why not?" said Josis.

Vorinia nodded; and made especial effort to chat pleasantly to Irette and Glenayse.

Josis had tucked her arm into the elbow of both Vorinia and Glenayse; and Vorinia faced something unattractive in herself; a rush of jealousy.

And that was so ridiculous; for it was wonderful enough that Josis should be her friend! By rights the girl would have been a journeyman woodcrafter by now, and maybe even Impressed turns before with friends amongst the Green Riders of the Weyr. Jealousy was childish, Vorinia told herself! It had been jealousy of Kaili – if she but admitted it – that had led to her wanting to Impress in the first place to outdo her and that might have led in the long run to good arising from it; but through no actions of her own! In a turn or so, she and Josis would go to the Weyr; and Glenayse would be Stablehead at Three Rivers. And besides, if they had more friends than each other it would not stop their own friendship.

Vorinia decided to get it into the open; and held Josis back as they returned, Irette crashing heedlessly like a half broken filly down the path, and Glenayse following more sedately.

"Problems?" Josis always knew.

"Jo, I know it's silly but I – I suppose I'm afraid that if you make friends with decent people like Glenayse you – you might mot want to be friends with me any more – I suppose because I don't feel that I deserve your friendship" she said "Only – only I thought I'd better get it out in the open."

Josis turned to the younger girl and embraced her.

"Vorinia, I'll always be your friend" she said "We've been through so much together. And you've worked so hard without complaint to change, and insisted on reporting your father treating me so badly; and I guess we've grown up together. I've hated you; of course I have. I suppose, because you can't choose your family but they still belong to you, ultimately we're almost sisters; a bad few turns but loving each other to bits now."

Vorinia's eyes widened.

"Oh! Really Jo? Can we be sisters?"

Josis grinned.

"Technically now we're foster sisters – for we've neither of us anyone close but Tragen to care for us."

"Then – then I guess I can manage better not to be so daft" said Vorinia "My DEAR sister!"

"Dear sister yourself!" grinned Josis "And, dear sister, we so are going to be in hot water if we don't hurry back for the Harper!"

Vorinia embraced her; and they ran hand in hand along the path to catch up with the others, or at least Glenayse; for neither girl would imitate Irette's irresponsible rate of travel!

oOoOo

The two girls who had needed to be got up looked subdued as the other three entered their sitting room where they would be given lessons; Miresa particularly. Miresa made an attempt at a civil smile to the others; and Vorinia gave her a polite nod and a pleasant smile back, having come to the conclusion that the older girl was a rather weak character led by the stronger-willed if younger girl Tirreysa.

Tirreysa had a scowl on her pretty face that did nothing for her looks; and the scowl deepened on seeing Vorinia.

Tirreysa knew she was pretty; and it made her fêted and popular. She was vain about her appearance; and it had been a shock to discover that she was to foster with a girl who was so lovely that her own prettiness faded before it. The fact that Vorinia was lovelier for the contentment in her face and the glow of a growing inner serenity did not for one moment cross Tirreysa's rather shallow little mind. That Vorinia was also a strong character who could not be swayed by Tirreysa also rankled; and too that Vorinia had warned her that silly behaviour would being unpleasant consequences. It had been a friendly warning; but in Tirreysa's thoughts that was neither here nor there and she decided that Vorinia was 'On THAT Awful Woman's Side' and as such someone that an immature girl like Tirreysa was looking for a way to pay back.

All this Vorinia recognised in a flash on the ugly look shot through Tirreysa's eyes; it was the way Vorinia had been accustomed to think. It was an uncomfortable thought.

She looked directly at Tirreysa.

"You are too old to think such babyish thoughts of payback to those you resent for being in the right" she said sharply "And blaming on those of us who gave you advice your discomforts because you chose to ignore advice. Now grow up do before you do something petty and mean that lands you in really big trouble because you didn't think it through!"

Tirreysa went white.

How had that girl Vorinia known? There were stories that some dragonfolk could read people's hearts as well as dragons – and Vorinia was destined for the Weyr! Had she truly read her mind?"

Tirreysa had little time to make comment, because the Harper arrived and the girls rose and curtseyed; which was to say Tirreysa rose a little late following the example of the others not wanting to be in trouble again.

Horovarn had grown old in the service of Tragen and his father before him; Horovarn's son having returned to him as an assistant and the next generation of his kin heading towards the age to apprentice as Harpers; and the Harperweyr now available for the girls if the Harper Hall was not going to take them.

Horovarn's daughter had married a groom here at Northfork and helped teach the youngest of Tragen's people their letters and the earliest nursery teaching rhymes; but Horovarn had always thought it a shame she had not been able to have a formal apprenticeship. Of course it was Fax's fault, making it dangerous for any to Harp, and no-one wanting to risk their womenfolk; but not having female Harpers had become too much a habit.

Horovarn called for the singing of the Duty Song to open; and stared at Irette, whose sweet voice was out of the ordinary.

"My dear girl! You should be in the Harper Hall!" he said.

Irette's eyes flashed.

"Harper Hall or Weyr, my grandfather wouldn't hear of it. He'd tell you women are for opening their legs not their mouths!"

"Ridiculous!" said Horovarn "I'll make enquiries – you're old enough to make your own choices."

Irette grinned.

"Offered two havens in as many days!" she said "I thank you, Harper Horovarn; it's something else to consider for I love to sing and I love music."

Horovarn managed to refrain from commenting on the attitudes of some people and called the lesson to order.

He tested then with question and answer; and whilst Tirreysa was sulking she dared not disobey a Harper, especially not a grizzled, grim faced Master with a sword scar on his face, the legacy of a run-in with some of Fax's men. Horovarn was no novice to the sword; and little did the girls realise that he had fought beside Lord Bargen in raids on Fax's lands.

Naturally his interest lay in the rise of Fax and preventing anything of the sought happening again; and he was glad to find Glenayse at least well versed in how it came about, and Vorinia and Josis eager students who asked intelligent questions. Irette was too busy brooding on her wrongs and the ways to avoid marriage to be a model student; Miresa was not the sharpest stick in the bundle; and Tirreysa had been desultorily educated on the barest of facts since her family had backed Fax and his steward Meron for their own advancement.

Horovarn wound up the lesson by saying,

"Remember this, and remember it well if you never learn anything else from me. For evil to triumph it only requires that good men and women do nothing about it."

Vorinia was much struck.

It was true!

Olban was a good enough man; and though there had been a bad attitude in Lambo's Field Hold it had been installed by mimicry of attitudes from above and was not engendered by a Hold full of bad men and women. None had stood against her father or her or reported them to Lord Bargen for violating the Charter time and again – as she knew it had been violated since Kaili had shown her the Northfork copy of it. It had been the first time Vorinia had seen a copy – or indeed even heard of the Charter!

She raised a hand as they were about to get up to go.

"Can we study the Charter please?" she asked when Horovarn indicated that she might speak "My education of it has been neglected, I know."

Horovarn was pleased.

"An excellent study" he said "I will see you young ladies again after lunch for singing and music."

The girls rose to curtsey again; and went to ready themselves for a ride.

oOoOo

It was a fine bright day and Tragen had decreed that they should ride out to study the wider implication of cothold farming. The wind was steadily in the East, cold and bitter but not usually the presager of a blizzard.

Tirreysa complained that she hated riding; so Kaili had hitched up a two-man bob for her to ride in, with Kaili driving the lively chestnut that drew it, Redstreak.

"He could do with the extra exercise t' be sure if he's expecting to win the Nabol singleton races anyway" said Kaili cheerfully. "Put on your snow veils girls; it's cold."

Irette had needed to be found a snow veil; she was not used to air so cold that breath froze in a cloud in front of the mouth, the light veil being there for it to freeze onto to prevent the chapping of the lips.

Kaili, driving, preferred a muffler over her mouth and nose; and on consideration Vorinia and Josis followed her example. Glenayse had a knitted hood that had a space for the eyes just large enough for her snow goggles that covered nose and mouth and neck all in one.

"I like that" said Vorinia "I wish I could knit."

"Oh, I'll teach you" said Glenayse "Both of you if you like!"

"I'll say!" said Josis "That's a very practical garment and wouldn't go amiss under a flying helmet either."

"So ugly!" sniffed Tirreysa.

"Huh, so's chapped skin" said Vorinia "Doesn't the wool soak and rub?"

"It's lined with cloth woven in the same looped fashion as the better drying cloths out of llama wool" said Glenaysa "All the Aunties at our Hold knit them and put in the liner."

"They ought to sell them to the Weyr – and to us" said Kaili "Write to your great uncle and tell his aunties to go into production for our next Gather; sure and I'll put in an order for a couple of dozen for our people right away. What's it called?"

"A Blakarver" said Glenayse "I'll do that; our aunties will be no end pleased!"

oOoOo

They took a brisk pace so as not to let the runners get too cold, with Tragen pointing out the strategic placing of various cots and explaining what each produced – mostly ovines and mixed grain and vegetables – as they passed; for it was too cold to hang about and examine any one cot in any detail. Tragen also made it an outing to greet the cotholders and check that they were not in any need, for the men would come out to greet him, hearing the cheerful bells on the bob.

oOoOo

Glenayse of course remained to cool off the runnerbeasts after returning, and Miresa stubbornly declared that this was nothing to do with her.

"Suit yourself" said Kaili shortly "But sure, I'll not be advisin' Tragen to give you a warrant of competence to manage the beasts ef you will not learn."

"But I only need to learn to supervise!" said Miresa.

"Ghirrl" said Kaili, her Ruathan brogue thickening again "You'll niver learn t' supervise if you can't understand from the bottom up the jobs ye're supervising" her voice held obvious patience.

"I WON'T get dirty!" cried Miresa.

"Then don't be expectin' to be taught anythin' else from me about runners" said Kaili flatly. "Go away and be a useless object, will ye, whoile the rest av us do what's necessary t'give ye fit beasts t' roide" she had become almost incomprehensible in her speech with irritation and disgust.

Vorinia had stayed to help cool her own beast; she owed it to the animal for taking her out in cold conditions; and Kaili nodded her approval to her.

Vorinia would never be more than indifferent to runnerbeasts at best; even if she found affection for individuals. But the girl was learning to put duty before herself.

oOoOo

Vorinia was musically competent; and enjoyed singing under Horovarn's instructions well enough, especially the part singing he introduced them to. Irette shone here, though she had never been taught to play any instrument; and Horrovarn offered to teach her several in her spare time if she wished.

Irette wished.

If it was as much because she knew it would irritate her grandfather as because she loved music that was understandable.

After music lessons Kaili decreed that as it was the first day they might do as they pleased, so long as, if they chose to walk out, they took snow goggles and always went in pairs because of the risk of sudden blizzards, two being more likely to survive together than on on her own.

"Sure and wasn't me own sister-in-law and me caught out in that unexpected Spring Blizzard and only survived by followin' the snow chains between the posts" Kaili said "Ye'll stick t' the paths too so you've the chains to follow."

Only Irette was unfamiliar with the sudden cruel blizzards of the High Reaches; of the others not one had failed to hear stories of people lost in sudden storms, the Spring Blizzard of the previous turn having claimed many lives, and being quite legendary in its unexpected fierce consequences. That Kaili had been out in it and had survived earned her the respect of all the High Reaches bred girls – even, grudgingly, Tirreysa!

oOoOo

Josis, of course, had her apprenticeship to go to; and would do so instead of any afternoon activities from now on. Glenayse similarly would go to the stables for the afternoon; and Miresa had been supposed to join her but for her excess of fastidiousness. Vorinia chuckled; the runner dung must have been a serious shock to HER!

Lessons were to continue in this wise for three more days, the afternoons taken up with walks if it were fine or dancing if it were not, followed by needlework. Vorinia found it a varied and well planned programme with no opportunity to be bored; and looked forward too to the fourth day that was to be devoted to domestic management.

oOoOo

Miresa had learned her lesson about tardy rising; Tirreysa however received three more doses of runner dung.

And the first lesson on the fourth day was laundry.

"And for sure we'll start with heavily soiled garments" said Kaili blithely "With small children and elderlies, ye'll be findin' that the removal av the likes of shit becomes an issue; or anyone who works in a stable. Or for lazy chits who can't be bothered to move; your heavily soiled garment me ghirrls are here courtesy of Tirreysa who's been kind enough to donate them for the whole of yez to wash."

Tirreysa's face was a study.

It was an added humiliation – as it was meant to be. If she would not learn one way she would learn another.

"Of course, if any av yez gets soiled up beyond what is normal without good reason, ye'll be washin' the same yourselves in this very lesson" Kaili added brightly.

The looks Tireysa received from the others made it plain that they would like her to be washing all the soiled nightgowns and sheets herself now!

Maybe – just maybe! Thought Vorinia – it might work.


	10. Chapter 10

_Posting late at night instead of first thing as I have an early routine vet appointment tomorrow...well the kitties do_**  
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**Chapter 10**

Vorinia felt a lot of sympathy for the girls unused to domestic chores; it had taken her a while to learn how to do it and she explained gently to Miresa how to wring water out of a sturdy garment like a linen nightgown, for the girl was squeezing at it rather ineffectually.

"Oh why must we do these?" wailed Miresa "That's what drudges are for!"

"Sure, and it's simple me ghirrl" said Kaili "No man should order another to do what he is not prepared to do, and no woman should do so either. Besides, when ye're inspecting your drudges, how will ye know if they're pulling their weight and doin# av their jobs properly? Same as the stable-chores ye're too fancy t'manage, or more like too feeble."

"FEEBLE?" Miresa was indignant.

"Well ye complain about dirt; and yet ye complain about washin#. So ef it's not the dirt ye mind, 'tis the hard work; provin' ye to be feeble" said Kaili "And a foine wife ye'll make ef ye cannot properly supervise your husband's household!"

"You're doing it on purpose to demean us! I'm going to write to my father to take me home!" put in Tirreysa.

"Sure, and isn't it in your rights to do so, and if ye cannot act like a woman av Rank and live up t' your Blood then good riddance to ye; but ye'll have a hard time t' find a good husband for there's more to marriage so there is than bein' a loving wench for just one customer."

Tirreysa gasped.

"How DARE you!" she cried.

"Sure, and are ye not expecting sex in marriage?" asked Kaili "For ye'll get it, and if 'tis ALL ye expect t' do in marriage, where's the difference between that and a girl who sells it near and far?"

Tirreysa scowled.

She had not the quick wit to find any flaw in Kaili's logic; and knew that just shouting 'how dare you' would do nothing but make her look foolish.

"I'm going to the Weyr anyhow" she said haughtily.

Kaili laughed.

"They'll not keep ye ef ye cannot do a good day's work" she said "As m'sisther-in-law, Gold Rider L'rilly will tell ye; will she not, Vorinia?"

Vorinia nodded.

"She put right my preconceptions, I can tell you; she and her weyrmate Bronze Rider D're, Lady Kaili's brother that is, both told me I needed to shape up and learn to do more. Which is why I'm here; at their recommendation. And now I guess I've learned enough to be acceptable to the Weyr but there's still more to learn – and I want to be well prepared. If I should Impress I shouldn't like to be too feeble to care for a dragon properly and so she dies of neglect" she said softly.

"Well I think it's a betrayal of our Blood to be acting like a menial. Don't you agree, Miresa?"

"Don't disturb Miresa to do anything so difficult to her as thinking" said Irette cheekily.

"Children" said Kaili "And my apologies to the three of yez that are young ladies. Well, Tirreysa, you shall write to your father if you wish; and Miresa to her brother-in-law. Sure, and haven't I done me best to give ye an education in keepin' wit' yer status and sorra a thing I can do ef ye'll not be ready to take what's on offer; so the best thing ye can do ef ye're such useless lumps is to stop eatin' at my table and go away t' be a parasite on yer own family."

Vorinia found it fascinating the way Kaili's brogue almost disappeared at times and thickened when she was irritated; or wanted to make a point. It was harder to follow without really listening hard to what she said; which meant it made more impact. Vorinia was almost certain she did it on purpose. As Irette was listening with fascination too, Vorinia felt sure that the instincts of a born Harper might just be coming to the same conclusions.

Tirreysa meanwhile lapsed into offended silence and sulked her way through the rest of the tasks allotted to them that day which involved among other things – since it was snowing – hanging the washing up in the big drying shed, covered but with a draught through. In the late summer this building was the threshing barn, the draught to carry away the chaff, and an ingenious arrangement of fans now hung in the roof to aid the draught, to be powered by a couple of burros in wheels. The cold winter wind created quite enough draught at the current time of turn however! Kaili explained gently when the girls shivered and blew on their hands that drying laundry indoors made a great deal of unhealthy dampness within the hold and could lead to mould on the fabric; and moreover the clothes and sheets smelled a great deal better for being dried in fresh air, however much lavender water you might put into the final rinsing water.

After this, to warm up, the girls went to help in the kitchens, peeling and chopping vegetables for Marilly under Kirissa's stern direction.

Vorinia had never had anything to do with cooking; this was then a lesson that was new to her too, and she flushed under Kirissa's criticism of her thick peeling of tubers.

"The goodness is just below the skin – only take of the finest of layers, just the knobbly bits!" said Kirissa. "Some don't need peeling at all, but this kind are tasty beneath their ugly skin."

The others fared no better.

As to chopping onions, there was much weeping from the juice; especially since heedless Irette did not take Kirissa's advice to cut the stalk end off before the root end to reduce the smell!

"Little idiot, why did you not heed me and cut the stalk end first" asked Kirissa "I just WATCHED you cut into the root end first of that one – and the amount of tear-smell is intolerable!"

"How can you TELL which end is which?" sniffed Irette, red eyed.

Kirissa stared.

"Because the straggles of root are a bit obvious, you silly child!" she said "But if you didn't know why didn't you ASK?"

"Because you'd have hit me for asking questions YOU know the answer to" said Irette sulkily "Now I only get hit once" and she squared her shoulders, cowering from an expected blow/

Kirissa was promptly all sympathy.

"My poor child!" she said, putting a kindly arm about Irette's shoulders. "If that's the training you've had, I'm not surprised you act like an idiot! NEVER be afraid to ask me – I might snap at you if I think the answer's obvious but I'll never hit you! Nobody will here!"

"I CAN gut fish" volunteered Irette wanting to say something positive to an amazing adult who did not intend to hit someone for ignorance!

"Why, that's a good and useful skill, my child; and nothing improves fish so well as good onions, so next time you come to the kitchen I'll show you how to bake a stuffed river fingertail – if I can persuade the men to go up to the tarn to fish for some."

Irette brightened.

"Why, I could TEACH scaling and gutting" she said "Not that like it much."

"Does anyone?" said Kirissa laconically. "Better now? Good, come and chop these winter brassicas, discarding any yellow and wilted leaves – they go with the tuber peelings in the porcine bucket. There's nothing to beat a good winter stew, and it's easy to make with whatever you have available. These are the last of the stored onions, we'll move to winter onions soon, the long green ones with broader leaves."

"There are a lot of different brassicas, aren't there?" said Vorinia.

"Yes; the ones that are leaves only, the ones with purple, green or tight white tops, the tiny winter brassicas on stalks and actually the purple crunch-roots that we also feed to the livestock are brassicas too and we eat the tops" said Kirissa. "The root itself is good in stew; you will find them harder to peel, Vorinia, and they must be chopped into small cubes. Don't eat too many bits raw!"

"You can eat it raw?" said Vorinia wondering.

"Bless the girl, she's going to have to try it now" laughed Kirissa.

Vorinia did; the sweet nutty crunch of the root was a pleasant surprise!

Next they were shown how to maintain a stock pot always on the stove; and Tirreysa naturally complained of the smell and made retching noises.

"You'll not be so fancy when it comes time to eat I wager" said Kirissa dryly. "The other pot has the heads and trotters of to porcines that were just slaughtered; and they'll make good headcheese and sausage. You stuffed yourself on headcheese at supper last night my girl, with roast porcine and apple sauce."

"It's made of head and trotters?" Tirreysa actually turned green.

"First Egg, even I knew that!" said Vorinia.

oOoOo

Tirreysa's supposed sickness did NOT diminish her appetite when they sat to eat; though she scorned the vegetable stew in favour of roast wherry and meat rolls!

oOoOo

After the afternoon music lesson there was a period of free time; and both Tirreysa and Miresa scribbled furious notes about ill usage to their respective guardians. Kaili would not assign men to ride out in such weather; she knew Miresa's brother-in-law well enough to send her bronze firelizard to him; and Tragen has a passing acquaintance with Holder Irgen, Tirreysa's father, that he could send his queen firelizard there.

It in no wise prevented Kaili from insisting that the whining girls should complete the day's lessons by bringing in, ironing and folding the garments they had washed.

Naturally Irette burned herself when manhandling – or rather mishandling – the hot stone into the hollow iron to heat its plate!

"Not only demeaning, but DANGEROUS!" whined Tirreysa.

"Huh, Irette is dangerous to herself from the moment she gets out of bed!" scoffed Vorinia.

Irette, who knew her own faults, grinned cheerfully as the numbweed Kaili applied took effect.

"My father says if I go a day without injuring myself or breaking anything there would be a spontaneous celebration of the magnitude of Turnover" she said.

"Ye'd not be sich a danger to yourself if ye'd only keep more than half your flighty little mind on what ye're doing" said Kaili "What your grandsire thinks in believing a ghirrl not hardly fit to take care av herself should be given the heavy responsibility of a husband and family for I can't understand. Now, ye'll have t' put that stone back in the fire to heat; and watch Vorinia handle the tongs to see how to do it properly."

Irette nodded meekly. She sensed Kaili's disapproval of her grandfather ran deeper than the words; and appreciated the support. She did not feel anything like ready for the responsibility of being a wife and then mother, never mind her fears of marrying someone who disgusted her physically.

oOoOo

Vorinia had enjoyed the day.

She had found the laundry part of it quite easy; and had enjoyed the basic cooking lesson. She had also reprehensibly enjoyed watching Tirreysa's face.

This led to an incident of which Vorinia was not to be terribly proud.

The girls were all in the sitting room after supper enjoying some free time before going to bed.

"It gets easier, you know" Vorinia said, mostly for Miresa's benefit; there was some chance the girl might learn, if she could be wrested from Tirreysa's influence, for she seemed truly distressed that she did not fit in here.

"Well I guess we know that you're only here to look good at chores because you're not Ranking at all – you're nothing but a drudge" sneered Tirreysa.

In Vorinia's defence, she WAS tired; and also dreaded anyone finding out that Josis had drudged for her lest they despise her; and so she snapped back,

"If I had been so, I would rather be a drudge in a place like this where hard work is appreciated than a whining article like you – but just you be careful about accusing people of wearing the wrong knots, my girl! It's tantamount to an accusation of fraud. For being so tired I forgive you this once, but don't you dare ever do it again or I will call for satisfaction of fee under Harper jurisdiction!"

"YOU? Forgive? You jumped up nobody! You ARE a fraud! FRAUD!" Tirreysa jumped up pointing a finger at Vorinia almost poking it into her face.

Vorinia saw red; and slapped the girl hard.

Josis winced. She knew how hard Vorinia could slap BEFORE her muscles had been developed drudging; and Vorinia had held nothing back and Tirreysa literally reeled under the force of the blow.

Tirreysa howled in real pain, and went for Vorinia, trying to pull her hair and scratch her face, screaming epithets at the top of her voice, accusing Vorinia of being everything from a thief to a loving wench.

It was a splendid little fight and Vorinia easily warded off the other girl's blows with her arms, slapping her rhythmically and calling her names in return, though at least 'inutile snivelling wretch' had, as Josis realised later, some degree of accuracy.

When Tirreysa grabbed up a knife from the fruit bowl however, Josis bolted to get Kaili.

oOoOo

Kaili had heard the noise and was already on her way. Strong arms accustomed to drive three runnerbeasts at once firmly separated the girls, Vorinia dropping back of her own accord as she realised Kaili was there. Kaili stared at them, her eyes flashing in anger.

"Sure, and what's the meaning av this unseemly brawl?" she demanded.

"She slapped me!" cried Tirreysa "I had to defend myself!"

"Is that true?" asked Kaili of Vorinia, who flushed and nodded.

"I lost my temper and struck her; I'm sorry Kaili" she said.

"The provocation was intolerable" said Glenayse quietly "And I'd have struck her before had she spoken to me in that way. Tirreysa accused Vorinia of wearing the knots of someone of higher Rank than she was entitled to; Vorinia turned away that with forgiveness, blaming tiredness; but Tirreysa called her a fraud, in as many words. I don't see how Vorinia could have done anything else with a finger in her face too."

"Josis? Miresa? Irette?" Kaili looked around.

"She should perhaps have held her temper but I can certainly see why she lost it" said Josis "No-one can be expected to take epithets and a finger pointed in the face and accusations of being effectively a criminal without SOME retaliation."

"What about me?" whined Tirreysa "What about having to put up with the likes of…" she broke of abruptly as Kaili turned and glared at her.

"Well sure, in addition to what I'm hearin' isn't there the matter of the knife I saw in your hand when I came in, Tirreysa" said Kaili grimly firmly enunciating with only a touch of brogue in the lilt of her voice, making sure every word was clear. "To draw blade on someone unarmed is a despicable thing to do so it is. I'm thinking you owe Vorinia a sincere apology for your words and your lack of control in grabbing the knife."

"But she's a fraud! I'll not apologise! She should be thrown out! She's only a drudge brat!" cried Tirreysa.

"I see you are overwrought" said Kaili grimly "That you've begun to believe your own imagination. Well ye can cool yer heels sleepin' alone this night, and if ye feel like apologisin' in the mornin' 'twill be all well and good; or I'll be havin' to think about what t' do wit' you instead and whether or not a Harper's court needs to hear your slander" she turned to Vorinia "Ef ye press charges ef she will not apologise I too may witness that the girl has reiterated an accusation of false knots. YE'LL be keepin' that temper o' yours under control I'm hopin'."

"Yes Kaili; I AM sorry. I'll try not to let it happen again. I'm cleverer than her; I didn't ought to rise to her childishness."

"Well it's thinking I am that I know why you did with such inflammatory words" said Kaili, laying a hand on the girl's shoulder, her eyes flicking to Josis. "Go to bed me dharlin' ghirl and sleep it off."

"I will" said Vorinia nodding. "Coming girls?"

"I am" said Josis, following her through "I say" she added in an undertone "Did you mind me saying that you should have curbed it? I did say I'd help you to."

"Oh you were right" said Vorinia "I was" she too lowered her voice "I was sacred she'd start on you as my friend and you're honest enough to admit you've drudged, however unjust it was that you should have done so."

Josis shrugged.

"It's a job someone has to do – though it should not be made worse by blows of course" she added; then chuckled.

"What?" asked Vorinia.

"I used to pretend to myself when you'd been particularly er, cranky, that one day you'd travel places dragonback; and I'd have to go to care for you – and what I'd do if travelling _Between_ caused our personalities to emerge in the wrong bodies."

"I don't think that can happen" said Vorinia.

"No, I'm sure it can't: but I was just a kid and resentful – wishful thinking you know! I wanted to want to hit you back but somehow my daydreams had me being nice to you to make you feel guity."

"That's because you're a genuinely nice person" said Vorinia. "I say, why don't you cadge some paper from H'llon and we'll write down what might happen? It'd make a fun story to tell."

Josis grinned.

"Why not? It'll be a change from sewing to write a story. I guess half the tales the Harpers bring are exaggerated at best when they start on the old legends."

They went to bed laughing cheerfully; and Vorinia's good humour was entirely restored!

Her last conscious thought as she fell into slumber was that if Tirreysa could only apologise and acknowledge fault the other girl might start again and learn to be happy!


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11**

A night spent locked into a rather Spartan visiting Journeyman's quarters had not improved Tirreysa's temper; and she refused to apologise.

Kaili discussed the matter with Tragen.

"And if we were a bigger Hold, I'd say let's keep her and try to bring her to her senses; but I'm thinking that she's bad for the morale of our people, holding forth about drudging like that" she said.

Tragen nodded.

"It's a fine day; I'll drive her back myself and make it quite clear to her father that she leaves in disgrace, and that I considered her ill manners and lazy habits to be his fault entirely. The animals are raring to get out: and they know if bad weather is coming before any man."

Kaili nodded. "I'll have her things packed and inform her that she's going" she said. "The other girls need not e worried about it."

She took a tray to Tirreysa for her breakfast to tell her that there was no need for civilised folk to have to associate with her as she had no idea how to behave.

Tirreysa made the mistake of throwing the tray at Kaili; and after receiving a good spanking at the hands of the angry little Ruathan was made to clear up the mess she had made.

"And if you've a mind t'go hungry for your naughty temper, sure, that was y'own choice" said Kaili, leaving coldly and rebolting the door.

Tragen was ready shortly afterwards and Kaili was glad to see the back of the stuck up Tirreysa.

"Poor little brat that ye are and do not even know it" she said. "Ye'll maybe realise one day we tried to help you" she said, as she tucked the rug around the girl.

"Go fly your nasty self to the Red Star" said Tirreysa, startling both firelizards squawking into the air.

"And may ye get the husband ye richly deserve ye piece o' work" said Kaili.

oOoOo

The other girls were back to their normal routine – or rather, Vorinia, Miresa and Iretta were; Josis and Glenayse not having taken time from their normal routine for household training as both trained for careers other than wives. Irette was spending more time learning Harping ut was not formally apprenticed while Horovarn sought permission from the Harper Hall. He had sent a message by his little green firelizard – one of those provided by M'gol for those Tragen felt deserving, and hoped to get a reply shortly.

It was during the lesson that morning that Masterharper Robinton's little bronze Zair arrived, chirping self importantly.

"Excuse me" said Horvarn, taking the note to read. "Ah! If you are wishful to take a formal apprenticeship, Irette, the Masterharper has no objection. If you become my apprentice I will be henceforth your guardian and you are subject to my rule. I will be strict, my child; I will not permit work just good enough and no more, simply in order to escape marriage. I will also protect your rights."

"I'm happy to work hard sir" said Irette. "Will I still do things with the others or come to you full time?"

"You'll exercise with the others; Harpers do not have such active jobs as Beastcrafters or even Woodcrafters. The afternoon walk or ride will be your time. You should inform your grandfather that you have accepted papers of apprenticeship in a craft though."

"Must I do so straight away?"

"It would be well to see that you can maintain a good standard in all harping aspects before annoying him" said Horovarn dryly. "I'll send you to the Harper Hall if I have to, but there's no reason you shouldn't learn the basics from me. You're old to begin an apprenticeship and intensive study WILL be needed."

Irette grinned.

"I'll catch up!" she said "I've been punished enough for singing at work because it spoils the concentration, or trying to make makeshift instruments! Must I do laundry and cooking?"

"No, but you may if you wish to learn" said Horovarn. "Harpers are versatile."

"Well I'll learn more cooking if you don't mind and leave the laundry" said Irette "I half suffocated in a hot wet sheet, urned myself on an iron, tripped over a vicious and malicious nightgown and knocked my knee – it wrestled with me, I know it did – and nipped my fingers with a peg. Laundry hates me."

Horovarn laughed.

"And you have the Harper instinct to make a funny story of your misadventures" he said "Very well, I'll talk to Lady Kaili."

oOoOo

That afternoon there was more drama; for Holder Toreel turned up in response to his sister-in-law's message.

"Where's Tragen?" he asked.

"Just got back from depositing a lazy ill conditioned brat on her father" said Kaili "The runners are hot."

Toreel nodded.

"My goodsister been trouble too?"

"She don't seem t'realise that Runnerbeasts take hard work t'care for and that ye cannot give orders t'others if ye do not know how to do the jobs" said Kaili dryly.

"Well we'll see about THAT!" said Toreel.

oOoOo

Miresa, convinced her brother-in-law had come to collect her, flung herself on him.

"I hear you're a lazy lump" said Toreel coldly.

"Toreel, they expect us to rise at an awful hour and get DIRTY!" cried Miresa.

"Listen my fine girl, and listen well" said Toreel grimly "You were indulged by your sister, my wife, because you were sickly. You WERE sickly. A girl who goes careering off around the countryside for hours on end on her riding beast is no longer sickly; and you expressed an interest in helping your sister's Hold by breeding runnerbeasts rather than joining your father's craft of weaving. Those are our two sources of revenue. You chose. Therefore you WILL learn how to do it properly as I am paying for; or I'll not be able to have you back. Or only as something commensurate with your skills, like a flax-treader. I have a small Hold with some three dozen souls plus the weavercrafters: I cannot afford freeloaders. Learn what you have promised to learn; or leave and take whatever jobs there may be in other Holds in anything you can do. I'm not having you pampered as a drain on my Hold any more. For you're healthy enough and have been for a couple of turns, relying on your sister's good nature and sympathy over the loss of your parents. You have a month to pull yourself together. Then I will stop paying Tragen for your keep and training if I do not get a favourable report and he may keep you as a drudge or send you to High Reaches Hold hiring fair as he sees fit."

"You wouldn't!" the girl gasped. "My sister would never let you!"

"Your sister is put upon by you" said Toreel "And I'll not have my wife having to work harder than she needs in waiting hand and foot on a lazy piece like yourself. She has her own children to think of, not a toddler who is Turned twenty. I was PROUD of you when you said you'd learn beastcare; now I'm disappointed and sickened that you did not mean it."

Miresa cried and begged; to no avail. Toreel remained adamant.

"I want to e proud of my goodsister for overcoming illness" he said "You CAN make me proud of you. And, miss, if caring for runnerbeasts isn't too fine for Queenriders – and Queenrider T'lana at least helps with her foster father's beasts when he's short handed – then it's not to fine for a weaver's daughter."

"But – but I'm Ranking now!" cried Miresa.

"Your SISTER is Ranking now and I choose to extend that to you. I can disown you easily" said Toreel. "You don't think I want to, do you? But I've a Hold to think of; and every mark counts. I'm not going to pay for a useless lump who's the laughing stock of the Hold for thinking she's something of the order of Bargen's daughter."

Miresa went white.

Being the laughing stock of her brother-in-law's Hold hurt more than anything else.

"Well!" she said. "I'll SHOW them!"

"Good girl!" Toreel kissed her on the cheek. "I know you could. I just hoped that you could do it without the hint. Ut you WILL make me proud of you and prove them all wrong I'm sure!"

He ruffled her hair; and strode back to his runnerbeast, being walked by a groom.

oOoOo

"Y'know me dear ghirl" Kaili said softly to Miresa "I was kept too young too long; t'the point of me own big sisther almost resenting me: for having reared me when our parents died, as your sisther had the rearing of you. I had the chance to foster away before mild resentment turned t'hate as it might have done; for I assure ye, I was a demanding little scrote so I was! Sure, and me sisther and I now get on just fine, better than ever before, lovin; each other more than we ever had for bein' equal in our relationship, not one taking and one giving."

Miresa turned her miserable gaze to Kaili.

"Truly? Oh Lady Kaili, I don't want my sister to hate me, or the Holderfolk to laugh at me!"

Kaili patted her kindly on the shoulder. Miresa was a s silly, shallow creature, easily led; but with good skills behind her and well trained would do a job as well as any and hopefully would learn confidence in the learning of skills.

"Let's start you gently, rising at normal time and spending your days in the stables with Glenayse" she said "And dropping your rising time back next week, hmm?"

"I – I just so hate things that are dirty" said Miresa.

"Well you shall plait your hair up and cover it with a cotton scarf; and there are boots to protect your feet, overboots; and then there's going to be a nice hot bath when you get back. You and Glenayse might as well split Tirreysa's share of hot water now she's gone. Sure, and anyone smells of runnerbeast just for the ridin' av them; it'll not be so much more" said Kaili firmly.

It would, of course; but Kaili knew well enough that enough time spent around any particular smell inured one to it! It would be well to ease the girl into her new found determination to prove she need not be laughed at – for Kaili strongly suspected that this determination was not so deep nor so stubborn as Vorinia's had been; and Miresa would need more encouragement and inducement!

oOoOo

Tirreysa was in no way missed by the other girls!

"Good riddance to bad rubbish" said Irette irrepressibly.

"I wish we could have helped her to realise how miserable she was though" said Vorinia. "I'm sure we were as blunt to her as D're was to me."

"Huh" said Josis "You had a good basic grounding from Davinda; all YOU had to do was find that and hold on to it. That kid's had wrong attitudes in her ear all her life; and that's another thing. For you it was the way you ACTED: your beliefs were laid on, on top of your basic personality. For her it's the whole way she THINKS. All the way down. I guess that sound a bit muddled."

"I know what you mean though" said Vorinia "I took my attitude from what I knew from my father – but I already had better training too that could be called upon."

"You were never spoilt like HER were you?" demanded Irette.

"Tact not your strong point, is it kid?" said Vorinia grinning. "I was much worse, actually; with an uncontrollable temper and the idea that drudges and riding beasts needed the whip to drive home ideas. I was horrid; and now that I know you other girls I'll admit to it freely. Josis stood my friend and was brutally honest and helped me to overcome it after I'd had a frank opinion or three from the Weyr; and she agreed to foster with me to help me to make a new start."

That implied neatly that Josis had joined her from the Weyr, though Vorinia in satisfaction.

"I suppose I must make a new start too" said Miresa "You said it gets easier – is that true?"

"Oh yes! The first few days after just a couple of hours work on my lazy muscles I wanted to cry all the time; but I suddenly realised I was managing!" said Vorinia "Stick it out – it'll reward you in the end. And it'll put roses in those pale cheeks of yours and give you better posture and better health generally too you know! Kaili won't make you do anything you can't, and Glenayse'll be there to encourage you!"

"Oh yes!" said Glenayse. How long Miresa's resolve would last, Glenayse personally doubted; but she would do her best to help the other girl.

"Well! Only me without a specific craft then!" laughed Vorinia "I've no aptitude for wood, and no particular love of runnerbeasts and no more than ordinary musical ability; so I suppose I'd better stick to cooking and washing!"

Irette pulled a face.

"Poor old you!" she sympathised.

"Oh well" said Vorinia "I know how to launder; and I'd like to learn to cook. And maybe to weave too!"

"Oh it's boring" said Miresa "Like sewing is."

"But I enjoy sewing" said Vorinia "Perhaps I shall enjoy weaving too. I'll speak to Kaili. Then I'll have a suite of skills to add to the lower caverns if I don't Impress!"

oOoOo

The result of Vorinia's enquiries led to her spending her days as Tranora's personal assistant; for Tranora was responsible for the sewing and weaving of the Hold needs, and taught Vorinia the basics of weaving and promised to teach her more knitting than Glenayse had yet shown her; and to start her on crochet work.

Vorinia planned on spending time sewing and knitting for the Weyr orphans and for Northfork's disaster box – clothing and goods for those who had suffered loss of their cot to fire, lightning or avalanche: for avalanches were a common enough hazard, and the ball lightning of the High Reaches was an unexplained and frightening phenomenon, to be considered as a hazard even though it was not common! It often seemed that there was always some new danger to face.

As D're said on one of his frequent visits,

"From Fall, Fog, Fire and Fish preserve us!"

The recent fall of fish over Tillek experienced when fighting Thread was a good story that the dragonmen told against themselves!

As to Fall, it was due the day after Vorinia embarked on her new apprenticeship; early in the morning.

Miresa had elected to rise wit Glenayse once she had found out that Fall did NOT interrupt duties, to be safely in the stables rather than having to traverse the runway during Fall. Irette was glad to be in lessons with Horovarn; and Josis would walk sweep with the woodcrafters. Vorinia would be with Tragen's and Kaili's party; and she and Josis exchanged nervous smiles and a clasp of the hands as they went to bed. Josis' hand was cold; and Vorinia was certain her own was too!

Kaili had permitted them a soothing measure of fellis in case they could not sleep; tiredness would cause a dangerous lack of concentration. Both girls preferred not to take it unless strictly necessary however.

And young bodies that work hard take the rest they need even with worried minds; and both fell asleep before they might have believed it!


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter 12**

Vorinia rose with a hollow, nervous feeling in her belly; and Glenayse and Miresa obviously felt just as nervous even though they would be shut away in the stables; for they giggled nervously through their hasty dressing. Food had been put out the night before, packed in boxflower leaves to keep it fresh and laid out for those who intended to spend fall in the stables. The girls, the younger boys and such of Tragen's people as were too nervous and were therefore a liability were those who were included in this. This however was quite a small number!

Vorinia and Josis went to their respective chores, meeting for breakfast before gathering with their groups in the covered way after the Fall siren had sounded its rising and falling note.

Leading edge passed, the dragons' flames visible above, charred Thread falling like black snow. There was a warm wind from the southwest, necessitating the turning out of the Weyr; the higher currents were too warm to guarantee it freezing to crackdust, and all must be alert.

Few Threads got through uncharred; Vorinia saw three of the horrid grey organisms squirling down, making the base of her spine squirm; before ten minutes passed and the trailing edge was gone.

"Off we go!" said Tragen.

With pasture land there was a lot to cover; and few enough burrows that might be easy to miss if they were not vigilant.

Vorinia walked her strip with grim determination and concentration; squirting the one burrow she found with agenothree, burning the squirming grey organism into dust. She found herself next to Jado, the big stablehand. He grinned at her.

"First time?" he asked.

She nodded.

"It always feels bad to see it, but you get used to it" he said. "We've walked Fall DURING you know; when T'kul was at High Reaches; I was ten when T'kul was sent south, so I remember their cover was pretty indifferent. And anyone who dared was let out with a flamethrower, Tragen leading us! The rest followed after Fall ended of course, but Tragen so appreciates T'bor's excellent cover we're always vigilant to fulfil OUR side of the Charter."

"You're a couple of turns older than me so I guess you remember it better" said Vorinia. "I remember my father raging and cursing T'kul for an ineffectual fool; but he raged about a lot of people so it never made a great impression on me. I also recall him moaning about T'bor calling him to book for making rather perfunctory sweeps."

"Well if that was his habit, T'kul's ineffectiveness would have shown up more I suppose" said Jado. "T'bor is good – the whole Weyr is – but they expect us on the ground to keep our end up too, you know!"

"And perfectly reasonable….is that a burrow?"

"No it's just a coney burrow; no scoring on the lip, see. You'd give poor old coney a nasty shock if you gave him an agenothree bath!" said Jado.

Vorinia laughed ruefully at the way he put that!

It probably would not permanently harm the little creature – but it would be a nasty shock and might, she reflected. Harm the creature's sensitive eyes.

"See, the angle of the burrow is as flat to the ground as it may be, and turns almost immediately" said Jado. "Coneys are no fools; they build their burrows into hummocks to make sure they aren't exposed to the sky and do all they might to avoid Thread. The way Holds are built is only really a copy of the way burrowing animals do it."

"Thank you Jado" said Vorinia, amazed "I had never thought about or noticed such things before!"

Jado flushed and looked pleased.

"You're welcome" he murmured.

oOoOo

The unseasonal warmth continued for a day or two before snow fell again!

"And it'll be this way for another few sevendays and thaw just in time for Threadfall no doubt" said Kaili half waspishly and half in resignation.

Irette had meanwhile written to her grandfather that she had taken apprenticeship papers; and the old man came bursting onto the peace of Northfork in vengeful ire, brought by Ruseth, the dragon of M'rian, also once from his Hold, and who had sought the Weyr when widowed. She was close lipped and angry for being subjected to his demands rather than requests. Ruseth bespoke T'han's Brown Firrianth stationed at Northfork before they left Safehaven Hold; for M'rian wanted the girl Irette to have every opportunity to hide. Than had loaded her and Horovarn hurriedly onto Firrianth to run errand to the Harper Hall – as the boy said, there must be SOME supplies Horovarn needed, like materials to make instruments – so that Kaili might say truthfully that the girl was with her master at the Harper Hall.

Holder Tyern raged at Tragen, accusing him of plotting against him.

Tragen listened icily to the tirade.

"If you weren't a decrepit old fool you'd be flat on your back for such insults" said the Runnerholder "The girl is old enough to make up her own mind; she's over fourteen. Though I must say your intemperate ramblings make me wonder if you are not in your second childhood and incompetent to Hold. If you want to make a formal complaint about me to Lord Bargen, do; be assured I shall make a counter claim to Lord Oterel. The girl has been prevented from exercising her rights in craft and weyr; and marrying her off against her consent is contrary to the Charter. Be very careful, Hoder Tyern; violating the Charter is gounds for loss of Rank, and removal of your rights to Hold as being unsuitable. Now get the crackdust out of my Hold!"

"You soft inlanders know NOTHING!" the Holder almost spat. "Come, wench, take me to the Harper Hall" he said to M'rian.

M'rian froze.

"Well hurry up!" snarled Tyern waiting for her to return to Ruseth.

"Commons do not ORDER dragonfolk about" said M'rian coldly "You've had your last trip dragonback, at least from those of us who hail from your Hold and I will petition T'bor to make that universal. We have given you trips of courtesy. But with no courtesy the other way you can fardling well walk."

"WHAT? How DARE you?" Tyern strode towards Ruseth.

Ruseth hissed at him, raising her wings aggressively. The bad man made her Rider feel upset!

Even a Green dragon was a large enough creature for the gesture to be intimidating.

"Green Rider M'rian, your decision is just but now I'm lumbered with the old git!" said Tragen "I cannot in any way fault your feelings before his contumely nor dispute your rights to make that decision however; and so I will write to T'bor."

"Well, I am sorry Holder Tragen to leave him on your lands; but I am not carrying him again. He's been ordering me about without so much as a please or thank you that you'd think any man of Rank would be able to manage for all, even drudges; since even a Weyrleader expects to use common courtesy to underlings and as I outRank him I am not pleased" said M'rian in a carrying voice "He has no honour and no manners."

Tyern's ears burned red

"Perhaps Y'lara would take him home" suggested Tragen.

M'rian grinned.

"Why yes; perhaps she will!" she said.

oOoOo

Y'lara passed her considered opinion to Holder Tyern of what she thought of men who sold their female dependants at all, let alone those of an early age; told him that if he took out his wrath on her family she would be collecting them, the best fisherfolk in his mangy Hold and deposit them elsewhere, losing him all the profits of the salted bordo and spiderclaw terrine her family were noted for producing. She also told him that he might whistle for further dragonback transport of any kind save in medical emergency since she would see what was after all a FAVOUR to be granted would be withdrawn.

"We are not at your beck and call, old man" she said "We CHOOSE to give lifts to the Ranking for courtesy's sake. It is NOT your right; but OUR pleasure. You are not a pleasure to give trips to. I choose to take you back to your Hold for respect towards Tragen who doesn't want you on his lands. I will not take you to the Harper Hall; if you choose to violate the Charter by trying to demand back a legally registered apprentice I'll have nothing to do with your law breaking. I'm only taking you home – apart from my respect for Tragen – because a soft southerner like you couldn't be let loose in the High Reaches for it would be the death of you; you don't know how to cope with the harsh conditions here."

It was likely that the comment that rankled the most was being called a soft southerner!

Ruseth had passed on the conversation fairly verbatim to Tanath after all!

Y'lara duly dropped Tyern off at his Hold.

That is to say she landed Tanath on a high cliff and demanded that he dismount or she would kick him off.

"I said I'd take you to your Hold. Never said it would be a convenient part of it" she said laconically "enjoy the walk."

It would be a stiff and precipitous descent of almost a mile.

Ylara could be like that when her friends were insulted.

oOoOo

Irette, back at Northfork, bubbled with glee when Y'lara returned with the story.

"And the bucktoothed wonder can go fish up one of his precious trees for me as a bride!" she chortled.

"Quite" said Y'lara. "You've a lot of growing up before you consider taking a mate; and I'd suggest a turn or two more too before you come to the Weyr if you're still of a mind to do so."

She said more privately to Kaili,

"That kid's no more grown up than my M'kel's eldest and him no more than seven turns! There's something wrong with a man as will happily marry a girl that don't think like a woman!"

"Be fair" said Kaili "The poor fellow's probably never done more than meet her briefly and seen t' be sure that she's mostly grown with teats in the right place. Though I'd maybe in your shoes be suggestin' an eye kept on him" said Kaili who had wondered herself about the prospective bridegroom "Unless he knows how young you fisherfolk generally grow up and hasn't thought to question the odd one that's a baby even by the views of us inland."

"Well I think I might make some enquiries about him" said Y'lara darkly. "Can't be too careful; and I don't mind upsetting the reputation of any man as would marry a young girl sight unseen for that matter."

Kaili agreed wholeheartedly; Y'lara was an efficient girl and would rapidly find out if anything were wrong with the woodsman and present evidence of the same to Lord Oterel. And being Y'lara she would get away with interfering.

oOoOo

Spring came in with a rush just after the news of a hatching at the Weyr and plenty more female Green Riders too, D're told them. He helped T'han to overfly the road across the high moor to inspect it; for its condition would decide Tragen when to leave for the Nabol Spring Gather.

The fosterlings were to go too; and Miresa and Glenayse to help with the runnerbeasts that would race. If the going was poor, they would leave before Threadfall and arrange shelter to allow two sevendays; but as the Riders reported no part of the road washed away Tragen planned to leave nine days before the Gather, leaving the day after Thread was due.

A visitor arrived in time for the earlier leave date, a red-haired young woman Tragen introduced as Cousin Petrilla, who hoped to avoid brigandage on the road by travelling with the Northcork cavalcade. Petrilla was a jeweller, but cheerfully mucked in with all the Hold's chores. Vorinia liked her immediately! She showed Petrilla about, and flushed with pleasure on being congratulated on her own skills!

Threadfall came and went; Vorinia and Josis felt like seasoned sweep walkers!

And then they were off.

The preparations had been underway for several sevendays, provisions prepared, runnerbeasts re-shod at the last minute, buggies and carts checked – Josis had a large part in this – and bedding and tents prepared. Vorinia had been a large part of THAT work.

It was, on the whole, a pleasant journey; the road crumbled a little at one point, and one of the carts ran a wheel off the edge. Glenayse distinguished herself helping to gentle the leaders as the men backed the team to get the wheel back onto a firm place and skirt the soft edge; she may not have been a Whisperer like Tragen and Kaili but she was close. And Kaili, now obviously heavily pregnant, planned to drive in the races and had therefore had to accept restrictions from Tragen over how much she might

do on the journey!

Apart from that small mishap, and one miserably rainy day bringing spiteful sleet from the north 'and nothing between us and the pack-ice on this moor but a stray gontermorra' as Kaili put it, it remained fine. Weesweets fluttered, drinking nectar, just a few sevendays from when they had been in hibernation. The flowers were a bright profusion on the moor; and Vorinia was moved to make a sketch or two during rest periods: for the runners must rest frequently to arrive in any condition to race. Nobody wanted to risk any of the highbred racers suffering from setfast!

oOoOo

Petrilla left the Northfork party at Nabol Hold, with cheery farewells as she went to look at the stalls. The beasts must be stalled and seen to first before the Northfork fosterlings would be free to attend the Gather; but it was a long Gather of three days, so nobody minded except perhaps the excitable Irette!

Tragen greeted a well dressed man who had come dragonback with such icy politeness it was obvious that there was no love lost between them; indeed Tragen was quite curt. Vorinia thought scorn on a man who would not travel with his people when it transpired that this man also had runners to be racing. . This Deever seemed one of those who had a superficial air of jollity that rapidly dissolved into unpleasant lines of anger when crossed or not given what he thought due recognition of his consequence!

As soon as she was free of duties, Vorinia headed for the public bathing rooms for a long hot soak in the deep, permanently hot baths maintained by any major Hold; and Glenayse and Josis, Miresa and Irette were not far behind her!

For a small fee one might leave one's belongings in a basket with an attendant, a token on a chain to wear about the wrist denoting which basket was one's own; matched by shape and colour of the wooden tag. The girls shared two baskets between them; a sensible precaution for at a major Gather thieves were often rife!

The hot water was good; although the peaceful soak was spoiled somewhat by the sounds of horseplay from the mens' bath, near enough to be readily audible. Some young men were shouting through the dividing wall, a thin plaster construct; and some of the more vulgar women bathers were answering.

"I think we'll leave now" said Vorinia.

"I agree" said Josis.

"It's rather scary" said Irette.

"Don't leave, any of you girls, until we're all dressed" warned Vorinia "Better to keep together as a group in case any of those rowdies accost us."

They had yet to change into Gather clothes in the rooms assigned them; and planned to go there next. They were not, therefore, dressed according to their Rank though they had their knots of course; but these not being obvious from any distance they had to put up with a barrage of cat calls and whistles as they left, and comments about how well they filled out their working trews.

Irette was almost in tears; Miresa WAS in tears; and Vorinia burned.

"Small tubs and limited hot or no we bathe in our own rooms from now on" she said angrily.

"Be a waste, darling!" said one young man, trying to slide an arm about her.

Vorinia gave him one of her famous slaps that turned his head neatly into the second slap she followed up with; and on due consideration also kneed him in the crotch.

"If I come hear again" she warned in a carrying voice "I shall be bringing my riding crop with me. Now you lot get out and stop embarrassing my friends; they've seen uglier things than you come out of a runner's arse."

"How you DARE!" whispered Glenayse admiringly, giggling as the men drew back. Vorinia's haughty tone and the way she looked down her nose was enough to subdue the men and boys however, especially when they caught sight of her knots; and the bold one was still simultaneously clutching himself and trying to check if his head was still attached.

The girls swept past!

"Well I guess that manner has its uses" grinned Josis "They just subsided before you looking at them as though they were something that had just emerged from beneath the tail! Thanks Vorinia – I was frightened!"

"Me too" said Glenayse. Miresa and Irette, getting their tears under control, just nodded.

"No need to be frightened" said Vorinia, hugging her friend, and the younger Irette too "We just need to show them that we are not amused by their bestial habits."

"How can you say so?" demanded Glenayse "Some beasts are MUCH more civilised!"


	13. Chapter 13

**Chapter 13**

Gathers were always exciting, the stalls so variable; and the Weyr had a craft stall here too, though no artists. Vorinia tentatively asked about it.

"Oh Carlinna'll be about shortly; but she's helping Geri down at the stables; they're talking Tragen into letting them draw his best beasts as a demonstration of how good Geri is, to see if others will commission pictures of their beasts" said the Journeyman Harper Blue Rider.

"Excellent idea!" said Vorinia "I'm sure Tragen will be more than happy – we foster with him, so we know him!"

"Well if it's portraits you're after, come up after the noon meal" said the Rider. "They're doing coloured ones now for a higher price – they have new coloured chalks."

"Oh we'll be back!" said Vorinia cheerfully, taking her gaggle of friends to find the weyrartists and marvel at the lovely portraits of Darkstar, Silver Flyer and the other steeds that were emerging under Geriana's clever fingers. She tried to present them to Tragen as a gift, but the Runner Holder insisted on paying for such fine portraits.

"We'll put them in the studbook" he said "And I'll pay you to come and draw all my studbeasts to compare future generations to them too."

Geriana grinned. Tragen was a good man, and set a good table too; it would be an excellent commission!

oOoOo

There were the usual competitions at the Gather of course – catch the greased porcine, fighting on a greased pole and archery. Vorinia was surprised to see Petrilla in the archery competition; and cheered her enthusiastic when the redhead carried off the second prize, beaten only by a big man named Deev, Holder of some minor Hold, by its colours beHolden to Nabol. Vorinia was conscious of a shameful lack of knowledge of all the colours out of the Holds beHolden to High Reaches itself; she SHOULD be familiar with those of Nabol and Tillek as well, and she burned with shame that she had screeched at her Hold Harper that she did not need instruction in the petty Holds of foreign regions! After she had declared the colours of one Hold as Skyblue Pink and polkadot the poor man had given up; and small blame to him.

She must ask Horovarn to make up her deficiencies!

oOoOo

By the day of the races, Tragen's beasts were ready and eager; and the fosterlings sat to watch then and lay modest marks on them too! Silver flyer, ridden by Kirilly not Kaili, came second; but she was a temperamental creature only Kaili could keep to full concentration so nobody was surprised, and Kirilly received the congratulations of her fellows for placing at all!

Morill drove Redstreak the chestnut in the light buggy race; the creature had an odd-looking gait when compared to the others with the length of the whole equipage to spare. Tragen drove his own trotting pair with covered buggy; and there were titters and whispers when a very pregnant Kaili came up to drive unicorn with three finely matched bays.

"The odds should be long because the fools won't credit her with the ability – good" said Glenayse.

"Well they should be! It's an awful risk – it's the hardest configuration to drive save perhaps the sheer strength needed to hold five beasts driving pickaxe!" said Vorinia "Personally I think she's insane!"

Speculation in the crowd was that it was Tragen who was insane, or in his dotage to permit such a thing!

Kaili the Whisperer was a canny driver however; and the weight of her baby still left her lighter than many a male driver, and she was fit enough to shift her weight as it was needed. Consequently she won by half a length!

All the dragonriders and all of Tragen's people went wild!

One disappointed punter did call out,

"She ought to be disqualified! It's a one person buggy and there's two up!" but his chagrin was plainly well-tempered and only raised a good laugh.

Tragen did well out of the races; and more important made a number of contacts who planned to visit his stables for their own riding and carriage beasts, which was of course the main aim in showing them off, after all! Lord Deckter himself spoke to Tragen, ordering a dozen draught beasts for the family carting business; for though Tragen might be best known to the majority for his racing stable, his most profitable breeding was his heavy puncherons for cart or plough work.

The Northfork contingent rode home in a cheerful and celebratory mood, though with Jado's brother Kren cheerfully predicting that now the race was over, Kaili was quite likely to give birth on the journey.

"And eff ye've marks on it, it's losing ye'll be" said Kaili exaggerating her brogue. "It's two sevendays before I'm due and baby is as secure as Morril on the back o' Darlstar so he or she is!"

No unscheduled birth took place on the journey; and Kaili cheerful in her belief that all was well.

Tragen WAS however relieved to get her back without mishap!

oOoOo

Kaili also insisted on riding over to act midwife to her friend Lowri when Lowri's son was born the day after their return; Lowri's firelizard having arrived with a method while the Northfork people were unloading the carts!

Tragen did not bother to argue.

There was a close bond between Lowri and Kaili; and nothing, come fire, fall or fog would keep Kaili away. She was riding Avalanche who would have the sense to reach out for Tragen's thoughts if anything was amiss, for the beast was remarkably intelligent, the reason he had suffered more at the hands of Vorinia and her father in the first place. Indeed Avalanche was intelligent enough to both recognise Vorinia; and accept that if his new rider accepted her, he would do well not to try to take revenge by biting or kicking her.

And Kaili too had her own firelizard, little bronze Swiftwind.

Kaili arrived back for supper, tired but happy.

"It's a boy; they've called him Loaman; and he's a whisperer!" she announced.

Tragen did insist that it be Kirissa who went out to assist Lowri for the first couple of sevendays however; as Lowri was far from her own mother or even Alaran's in their new cothold. And when Lowri protested to Kirissa that Tragen did not have to send her aid, Kirissa shrugged and informed her that Tragen would expect Lowri to do as much for a neighbour in need and it was how his hold and its semi-dependant cots operated.

Kaili accepted Tragen's decision to send Kirissa instead; but proceeded to look very smug that it was another sixteen days before her own baby daughter squalled her way into the world, costing Kren a number of marks for being far later than he had wagered.

Kirissa returned to fuss over Kaili; and Kaili laughingly protested that she would do the same to Kirissa if she did not lay off! Kirissa blushed; she and Morill had decided to wait to wed until after Kaili's baby had been born!

There was some time elapsed before Kaili and Tragen eventually announced the baby's name to be Kaitra. There had been something of an exchange of opinions over the naming of the baby, for Kaili had wanted to name a daughter after Tragen's first wife, Meromi; and Tragen would not hear of it.

"We will call a second daughter Meromi, if we are blessed with one, if you wish" he said "But I want to celebrate your name with our first baby"

As Kaili insisted that if this was the case, she wanted to celebrate his name too, the baby suffered under several unwieldy suggestions until Tranora marched in on the argument and firmly called the baby Kaitra 'and let that be an end to it' as she firmly said.

The Holder and his Lady meekly obeyed their Headwoman.

oOoOo

This tricky matter being sorted out, and Morril having been chased, laughing, halfway across one of the paddocks for suggesting inscribing Kaitra, out of Kaili by Tragen in the stud books, then Morill's and Kirissa'a nuptials might be duly arranged. The weather had the courtesy to remain fine throughout the ceremony, despite a nasty start to the day with a threat of smurr setting in; but the dreich start was soon forgotten with a wan but definite sun.

There was much practical – and impractical – advice to the bridegroom form the other jockeys and grooms.

"You cheeky lot! If I only had my wooden spoon!" growled Kirissa, blushing violently.

"Heh heh, why do you think we saved it for when you DIDN'T have your spoon?" called Cathel, one of a pair of brothers at the stables.

It was a fair comment – diminutive in size Kirissa might be, but she was far from diminutive in personality or self confidence; and she wielded an impartial wooden spoon to any thieving fingers straying near the food she cooked!

oOoOo

The coming of the good weather meant that the girls could get out for exercise most days; as could everyone else. It was Tragen's rule that all his people were to take advantage of fresh air and he encouraged sports and games amongst his people. Curling was a winter sport, like ice hurley, though the folk at Northfork took the former more seriously, and its summer equivalent, bowls. Games of hurley were played, informally and in friendly matches; but jockeys were forbidden to play because of the risks, and Tragen did not encourage its serious participation. When it became known that T'bor agreed there had been less complaints about THAT; for if dragonmen eschewed the sport in a serious form then there was no shame in not fielding a team!

Goalball was played too, winter and summer alike, the iron hoop set above the Runway, and a lower one for children. Children skipped and played ball of various kinds and at miggles, or as some southerners called the game, miggsies, which Kaili said she knew as Marleys which involved various complicated games of shooting small balls of stone, wood or baked clay in particular ways to win other of these miggles from other children. They also emulated their elders with childish versions of adult games.

The season was starting for stump ball, where one team took turns to hit a hard ball bowled at them and make a run about a designated pitch, the other team trying to stump them 'out' at the four perimeter markers the runner had to pass. They could also be 'out' if the ball they hit was caught, if the 'bail' a short stick balanced on the stump behind them was knocked off either by the bowler or by their own efforts to hit the ball; or if they were struck on the leg and it was decided by an impartial referee that the leg had been used to prevent the bail being hit.

The game that required the least equipment or preparation was kabaddi, where a team of five lined up in a court divided across the middle, often an impromptu court, the centre marked by a rope, or chalk line or line drawn in the dust. One team, in twos and holding hands, would raid into the other team's territory chanting 'kabaddi, kabaddi' all the while as proof that they were holding their breath whilst so doing, trying to drag the other team's members back. Each team took it in turns to raid. Players captured were either 'out' – for all the game or an agreed length of time – or changed teams. The rules were determined beforehand; children's games tending to either change sides or have a limited time out. Kabaddi leagues played against other Holds had more rigid rules.

Of course wrestling was always popular – with the men anyway – and games of strength like tug-o'-war; and most turns someone would invent a variant on a game that had vogue for a while then disappeared as rapidly as it had risen to popularity, such as the version of goalball where the ball had to be manoeuvred without being allowed to touch the ground and without touching it with the hands. Elbows and wrists were acceptable however! The goal then had to be shot – when hands were permitted – standing still on one foot from a designated spot. It had been all the rage the previous summer; and a few desultory games were played this turn but it seemed, on the whole, to have run its course.

Children not yet permitted a mount were of course still fully aware of the whole nature of a Runner Hold; and most could ride almost as soon as they could walk even if they did not have use of a personal mount; 'Gee racing' did however take place with smaller children pick-a-back on larger ones and plenty of minor injuries that ensued from steeplechasing races. Vorinia could not find anyone to explain that term; what a steeple was and why it should be chased eluded even the Harpers, but it involved a lot of cross country impediments. Vorinia postulated that steeple might have been an old word for obstacle and one chased over them; which was reckoned as good an explanation as any.

Regular small real race meetings were held even so; with children's events as well as adult ones; it kept people alert to their Hold purpose!

The Hold ploughing teams were flushed with success, for Calum, Tranora's husband and Steward of the Hold, had taken teams as well as heavy runners for sale to the Highspire Hold Gather; it had fallen at the time Kaili birthed, so Tragen had never expected to be able to attend in person. Kren won the ploughing contest this turn, his brother Jado acquitting himself well to come fifth, and two cothold teams beHolden to Northfork coming into the top ten too. Lowri's husband Alaran had intended to enter; but he too was preoccupied with the birth of his own son, the prize money not being worthwhile risking leaving Lowri for. Calum had however taken goods of his to the Gather on the behalf of the young couple; and negotiated to purchase the colt that had been born not long before Lowri's own baby, when the little beast was old enough to leave his mother.

oOoOo

Preparations were also underway for Tragen's own Gather; it was to be a three day event this turn, and with Kaili still recovering from birthing, Tragen was really glad of Vorinia's capable and willing help!

As people would be coming to stay over, more rooms must be opened; and caves had been delved in the mountainside for this purpose, including visitor stabling. On a one-day event, paddocks had had tents thrown up in them for visiting runnerbeasts, but that would not suffice for longer periods. Glenayse and Miresa had the preparation of these; and Vorinia made beds, stacked linen, helped sweep rooms and did the myriad jobs required to prepare for visitors, in between helping with the cooking. Which as she said cheerfully to Tranora would either help prepare her to run her own Gathers if she was having to Hold, or would help her to prepare for an influx of candidates if she was indeed destined for the Weyr.

Northfork had a separate Gather kitchen and dining room that had a massive chimney which also heated the communal bathrooms; and Kaili decided that there was no need to make any changes in this arrangement. It was Irette's turn to clean the chimney and the big kitchen hearth as the youngest fosterling; and she climbed it easily, giggling with glee despite the unpleasant soot that clung everywhere! The chance to do something considered a necessary duty that her grandfather would doubtless disapprove of pleased her mightily!

"Sure, and wasn't it my job last turn" said Kaili "Make sure ye make a good job of it, not t' be lettin' me down me ghirl."

The reply was muffled but sounded cheerful; Irette had a rag tied over her face to keep her from breathing in the soot, and snow goggles to protect her eyes and anything she said was not very intelligible, which as Josis murmured scarcely was a problem since it prevented one from hearing her constant prattle. The helpers at the bottom were protected similarly; because soot could be quite unpleasant and irritate lungs and eyes badly. It was filthy work; but necessary.

Even one day of continual cooking twice a turn caused a lot of soot; and it might be necessary to sweep the thing again after a three day Gather in preparation for the autumnal Gather! At least the soot was beneficial and was put with the extra vegetable peelings on the big compost heap that produced, with the addition of the runner dung, some of the best compost and manure in the High Reaches!

oOoOo

At last everything was sufficiently spick and span for Tranora's tastes, dormitories of between four and a dozen beds prepared, and some family quarters for visiting families and trader families, all the palliasses filled with sweet meadow hay and covered with sheets, and blankets of wool and quilts stacked so each might have warmth to his tastes. The quilts were only flax and wool filled, stuffed with waste from the weaver hall ay Flaxmeadow as well as from the main Hold's throwster's waste and waste from short staple shearings; the wherrydown ones were the higher Ranking Hold residents and jockeys! It was warm enough in any case to really require down filled quilts; and if it had been cold it would not have changed Tranora's mind in any case over what would be supplied to all comers.

"And when you've shot a down-filled quilt that some wherry-headed lummox has thrown up in and worse you'll know why" Tranora told Vorinia. "You have to throw out the contaminated down for it won't wash; and washing the cover must be done with nothing else in the tub or the down will transfer to EVERYTHING in the wash. If the damage is bad it's sometimes easier to throw the whole thing onto the compost heap."

Vorinia was quite shocked, for Tranora 'couldn't abide waste' as a general thing and rarely advocated throwing anything away!

"Do you then not have to empty wool-filled quilts?" she asked.

Tranora grimaced.

"Theoretically, yes; but for Gather visitors' quilts I never bother. If they feel lumpy, I unpick the seam and tease out the lumps or throw them away and put in more filler if they won't tease. You don't need to be too scrupulous with three-day visitors who are mostly too drunk to appreciate your efforts; or you'll end up neglecting your own people for the care of strangers. It'll take a sevenday to wash all the linen after they've gone in any case; and right glad I'll be of your help with it!"

Vorinia grinned ruefully.

"I never realised how much work goes on behind the scenes before and after a Gather!" she exclaimed. "It hardly seems worth it!"

"Oh it is" said Tranora "We make a massive profit on food, even making the smallest mark-up on cost; we charge a quarter mark for every breakfast and supper and a half mark for a nooning and let people help themselves to however much fills a platter. True, some eat more than that in piling a platter full; some go back for second helpings; but most who eat give us a clear profit of as much as an eighth on main meal fare. And it saves having to designate people to serve. It's even worth paying for charcoal to run chafing dishes. And besides that the trade brings revenue – the stallholders pay for their stalls, though we don't charge the Weyr for their craftstall of course. And the races are run by OUR Race Stewards, take that smirk off your face young lady, you know EXACTLY in what respect I use the word 'run'" she added as Vorinia started to grin at the thoughts of race stewards heading off down the race lanes "…And the betting is run by our bookies too" went on Tranora. "So the fee to enter goes to the Hold; and bookies always win more than punters in the long run and they must tithe to the Hold. In addition, one reason for coming to a RunnerHold Gather is to look at the beasts we've bred here; there are usually plenty of sales. All good business!"

"I see" said Vorinia, much enlightened.

It was about a lot more than arranging a good time for visitors! It was a lot more complex than she had ever realised; and of course when one considered it, the reasons for having a Gather had to be more complex than merely a day off work having fun.

"The aspect of having fun is important too though, isn't it?" she asked "To make people feel more content for having had the opportunity to enjoy themselves?"

"Oh yes; very important" said Tranora "All work and no play makes any man – or woman – resentful. And even a Holder who does not care what he might be called behind his back needs to make sure his people are cared for, and that includes their games and pleasures, because happy people actually work harder."

"And that, I fear" said Vorinia dryly "Is something my father would never have managed to comprehend."


	14. Chapter 14

**Chapter 14**

Tragen's fosterlings were to dress in their finest for the Gather and be on hand to greet distinguished visitors like dragonmen; Glenayse and Miresa to provide hospitality for runner owners and see them and their beasts well cared for. Irette was to see to the comfort of the visiting Harpers that Tragen had hired, to spell Horovarn and his journeymen and apprentices; as well as to provide a change in style from that of the resident Harper. As a Harper apprentice of Rank it seemed an appropriate duty as well as keeping the girl, as Kaili said, from opening her mouth and creating any faux pas with other Ranking visitors. This left Vorinia and Josis with Dragonfolk and other Ranking people; and if neither minded the former, both were chary of the latter!

One visitor Vorinia recognised.

"Why Olban!" she said "You look turns younger! Has it been going well since my father was found to be insane?"

Olban gave her a searching look; it seemed as though the girl really believed that her father truly was insane; as well he might be of course; but Olban had been there when Lord Bargen had manoeuvred the man in so masterly a manner into an insane seeming outburst! Olban had every respect for Lord Bargen for that piece of work; and every intention of living up to the expectation of the Lord Holder in doing well for Lambo's Field Hold!

Vorinia really DID believe her father to be insane; to her it was the only explanation that he had not learned the lessons that happy holderfolk were productive holderfolk. It was a trifle naïve; but as she had loved her father, nobody had troubled to enlighten her and upset her by doing so.

"It's not going too badly, Lady Vorinia" said Olban in answer to her question "Lord Bargen made recommendations in line with your own wishes for the lowliest of our people; I'm here to sell some of your father's runnerbeasts to cover the costs of bringing our people in line with those of more uh, fortunate Holds. There's also a fine to pay to er, your ex drudge."

"Yes; and she deserves it" said Vorinia "She's catching up well as a woodcrafter here; but she should have been a journeyman long since; she's awfully talented."

Olban heaved a sigh of relief that the Lady had taken that so well! She was still an unknown quantity to him; for he knew little of the new Vorinia!

"Well I am pleased you feel it fair" he said.

"Eminently" said Vorinia "I have no doubt that Tragen will want first refusal of the runners" she went on "He's over at the Gathertent settling a dispute – ALREADY, I ASK you! – and if you want to see him when Glenayse has seen to your beasts I'm sure he'll be happy. Are you racing Fellrunner to raise his price?" she named her father's bay.

"He's more used to hunting than racing and I've no good jockey in any case" said Olban "I've been seeing to getting his coat improved - the whip marks you know – and keeping him fit. Caligar has done a good job" he gave her a sideways look; the stableboy's false rumours of Vorinia's supposed affaire with the groom had reached his ears.

"Yes, he's very competent" said Vorinia nodding. "Almost as good as any of Tragen's men – or girls."

And that, thought Olban, was an answer to whether Vorinia had ever been involved with the man – it really WAS as ridiculous a story as it sounded!

"Well, I'll b getting these beasts sorted" he said.

"I shall see you around then" said Vorinia "I'd like to bring the other girls over and see how it's going; if you've been in charge for more than three months I guess I'd not be ashamed to take them there."

Olban blinked.

"Why – thank you, Lady!" he said.

That was praise indeed!

Olban started wondering if Lady Vorinia's famous bad temper had been fuelled in part by frustration over her father's mismanagement; in which he was entirely mistaken; but it did her no disservice in his eyes!

oOoOo

The Weyrfolk turned up in some numbers, carefully landing downwind of the runnerbeasts, to offload goods for their craftstall; the dragons withdrawing to perch on the cliffs overlooking the proceedings and well out of the range of scent of the most nervous of runners. Vorinia and Josis lent a hand, and received all the latest news, about a new weaverhall at Rivenhill Hold that could forge ties with Flaxmeadow; from whence, as D're said, one of their newest Green Riders came, young M'eela, the Holder's daughter.

"Oh she'll be our Miresa's niece" said Vorinia. "Miresa and Glenayse are helping with the runnerbeasts."

"Good kid M'eela" said D're "works with Geriana designing and drawing. Fashion's her main thing, but she's helped designing simple but attractive things for our orphans too."

Josis and Vorinia exchanged a look.

Miresa's niece sounded a lot more willing than her aunt; Miresa did what was required of her but was still not what might be called enthusiastic the way Glenayse was!

Geriana was not to be at this Gather; she was into her final trimester of pregnancy and could not travel _Between._ Carlinna had come to do portraits; but apologised that she could not draw a runnerbeast that looked like a runnerbeast, let alone one that anyone could tell apart from another.

"I'll let you into a secret" said Vorinia "I can't tell them apart so easily myself even in the flesh. They have a leg at each corner, teeth at one end and a shit-hole under the tail at the other."

Carlinna laughed.

"I'm not so keen on them myself. The only beast I know well is Geriana's llama, Brushstroke; ornery but pretty good at hauling heavy kit."

Once the Weyr stall was set up the girls went back to greeting people; they could not really stay to chat, however much they might have liked to!

oOoOo

Numerous small Holders came to the Gather, including Glenayse's great-uncle, Priarish; and Tragen gave Glenayse leave to show him around. She was delighted; and Priarish was impressed by all she had learned!

Holder Irgen did NOT turn up.

Tragen had not made a friend when, the Holder on his way to 'rescue' his daughter, the Runnerholder had made a pithy assessment of both girl and her whole family.

Irgen was not the sort of man Tragen wanted as a friend in any case.

oOoOo

One of the runnerbeast owners to visit the Gather was a Holder named Deever. Vorinia knew something of his Hold – it was situated in a valley near Northfork and came under High Reaches Hold jurisdiction – and was of interest in being another Runnerhold though not so large nor as specialised as Tragen's Northfork was.

Vorinia recalled that Tragen had been at best cool to the man at the Spring Gather at Nabol; and now she noted that all the weyrfolk gave him a wide berth; and Tragen's manner had if anything become more frosty.

"What's the story with that one?" Vorinia accosted the first Green Rider she recognised, T'alla.

T'alla snorted in contempt of the man.

"Oh he only made his illegitimate daughter drudge all her life; and when she brought meat for his hatching firelizard egg and called to him to come he would not let her say why she summoned him and called vituperation at her because he was too busy rutting with the newest drudge!" said T'alla "And so the girl Impressed the little bronze of course, as he came out so hungry and she had meat; and Deever hunted her down with mounted men and crossbows! Your T'han saw the whole and rescued her; and she Impressed this last clutch. T'asha is a nice kid – and only thirteen turns, which makes his actions even more reprehensible. Lord Bargen fined him for doing her out of her Birthright when Deever demanded the price of an egg from the Weyr. Deever is NOT one of our favourite people you know! Tragen'll tell his people to look out, I guess; he's not above race fixing if he thinks he can get away with it; as well as coming on to pretty girls, especially those he thinks are low enough born not to dare resist him, or ready to be flattered."

"Huh, I'll warn Glenayse and Miresa doubly then; if he's likely to try to use charm to get past green new hands" said Vorinia. "Thanks, T'alla!"

oOoOo

Glenayse was glad of the warning; Miresa was certain that she would never have her head turned by so horrid a man!

"Horrid men don't always come across as horrid if you don't know them!" said Vorinia sharply. "LOTS of people thought my father very charming indeed – because he could be. They'd not believe him to be the sort of person to put sick people out of the Hold, with Threadfall due even, on the grounds that sick people can't work; or to flog drudges to death. But that's the sort of person my father really was. IS I suppose; he's held as insane at the Healer Hall. But he's nasty as well as insane. You sulk about your brother-in-law's supposed harshness; but you don't KNOW harshness" she gulped "I – I'm sorry" she said, seeing both of the other girls staring at her.

"Shards, we never knew. Was it him made you drudge so hard that you know it so well?" asked Glenayse, touching Vorinia's arm.

Vorinia shook her head.

"No; he tried to turn me into a female one of him….. I wised up. It was MYSELF made me drudge – disguised – to see what my Hold was really like from the other side. Jo, may I?"

Josis nodded.

"I'll tell it if you like" she said and proceeded to outline her own story.

"There need to be more curbs on Holders, autonomy or no autonomy" said Glenayse, gravely. "May I tell my great-uncle all these stories? He might be able to get something done to change laws – a Holders' agreement to be open to investigation say."

"It's covered by law, by the Charter" said Vorinia "Which is how Lord Bargen could act. But if people are denied their rights and even the knowledge of their rights and threatened – if they're Harpers or other craftsmen – with being accused of dishonesty if they talk, or even leave, it's hard to know what to do. My father again" she added bitterly. "And me convinced all my life he was a loving father and quite normal!"

"Well the Harpers and the Weyr ought to stick their noses in more" said Glenayse. "Uncle Priarish was grateful to the Weyr for finding out about dishonesty in his Hold."

"Yes, but your uncle is a decent man with nothing to hide himself" said Josis "The ones who HAVE something to hide squeal about autonomy and Weyr interference."

"Well something needs to be done" said Glenayse. "Autonomy is all very well but not when a law supposedly guaranteeing personal freedom is used to deny others their personal freedoms."

"It strikes me" said Vorinia "That there should be a validated inspectorate for Weyr, Craft and Hold made up of members of Weyr, Craft and Hold and Harpers to go round and inspect places."

"What a BRILLIANT idea!" said Glenayse "I'll talk to my uncle!"

"I'll put it to Tragen" said Vorinia "Plenty of people respect HIS views!"

"And I'll put it to H'llon – for Craft AND Weyr" said Josis "Some of his best friends are Harper-Riders too. It's a fine idea!"

oOoOo

Tragen, Priarish and H'llon as well as Miresa's brother-in-law Toreel discussed the idea put to them; and found a great deal of merit in it.

"Only plenty of people won't like it" said H'llon.

"Mmmm….mostly those who could bear watching" said Priarish shrewdly. "If I talk to Deckter, and you and Tragen talk to Bargen – just a suggestion that such a group might be a good ides, dropped in passing into conversation I'd say – and if you'll accept the suggestion, Bronze Rider, perhaps a word to T'bor and your craftmaster as well and then we might start to get somewhere. I don't know about Lord Oterel."

"We've seabred people who know him well; I'm sure one of them could approach him" said H'llon. "Though I've no very great opinion of the coastal Holds of Tillek; too many of them are thoroughly hidebound and have packtail poison between the ears instead of brains."

"That's First Egg's truth" said Tragen "But so long as they adhere to the Charter, being hidebound IS their choice. It was violating Irette's rights of personal autonomy that caused Holder Tyern to irritate your seabred Riders."

H'llon winced.

The idea of irritating Y'lara was not one that any sane man would contemplate without wincing; her comments tended to be both direct and loud. H'llon had been one of a group who had received the sharp edge of her tongue when Tanath had first risen to be flown by Vorth; and M'kel's friends had sneaked in while the pair slept off dragonlust to award M'kel's manhood a blue ribband of excellence!

Y'lara's objection had been more on the invasion of their privacy than on their assessment of her weyrmate's prowess; and she had made her feelings plain. M'kel had worn the rosette on the other shoulder to his knots, for M'kel was not the most modest of men, but those who had awarded it still walked carefully around Y'lara!

However the seabred riders had withdrawn goodwill from Tyern and the rest of the Weyr followed their lead on that; and it might someday sink in that rudeness to Riders and a cavalier disregard of the charter led to a lack of courtesies from the Weyr and Crafters too. Probably as long as it took for this idea to be implemented.

H'llon had learned much since he had come young, idealistic and unrealistic to the Weyr; and he doubted if such inspectorates would be likely to happen for a goodly number of turns by the time the initial idea had been discussed, changed to suit the ideas of various people, re-discussed, shelved until a more propitious time and finally – maybe – implemented in an emasculated form probably only with advisory powers and no power to depose an unsuitable Holder that he suspected had been Vorinia's original idea. Which would make it more likely that those being oppressed would not complain for fear of reprisals; and, too, the taboo against interfering in autonomy was so strong that anything else would be unacceptable. And, if H'llon was frank with himself, the idea of outsiders telling Master Bendarek how to handle the Crafthall would irritate HIM.

If it were done at all it would be better done covertly; this he blurted out, then quickly explained why when the others looked on him in surprise.

"That way abuses could be observed without putting up the backs of people who are honest but who resent interference" he said "And the appropriate authorities could be notifid to deal with the abuses; and the abuses would, too, be more likely to be spotted. If an inspectorate is open, implied threats will keep people quiet and abusive leaders can hide their nature for a few days."

"And THAT probably wouldn't be acceptable either!" said Tragen despondently "Accusations of spying and the like. If you ask me, the best thing is for the Weyr logicators to carry on sticking their cheerful and insouciant noses in, in their usual good humoured way and asking those pointedly ingenuous questions."

"I'm afraid he's probably right at that" sighed Priarish "But I'll have a word with Deckter anyhow; he's a practical man."

"Even if it's taken down to inspection by Harpers checking on the following of the charter – and the level of teaching of it – it might do some good" ventured Toreel. "It would be good to have an open inspectorate – that could visit places covert or logicator knowledge suggests be worthwhile."

"Well I'll chat to Bargen too" said Tragen "But I can't see it happening this Pass."

"Nor I" said H'llon gloomily.

As H'llon was becoming steadily convinced that his calculations proved a long Pass to follow the last long Interval, this was a particularly pessimistic point of view!

The bright spot was, H'llon reflected, if there WAS a long Pass, the Weyrs could probably force more concessions from Craft and, particularly, Hold for the continued protection; which might just lead to SOME unified policies at least – presented as for the protection of Pern.

It was; but not protection due to the exigencies of Thread, but protection of the people from the people.

Human agency and malice was in some ways a more dangerous thing to civilisation than Thread in the young Bronze Rider's estimation!

oOoOo

The girls knew nothing of this discussion; and continued to enjoy the Gather as well they might; and on the two subsequent days they were awarded more freedom to do so, and could show off their dancing skills in the evenings!

Clearing up was, after all, going to be hard work; and Kaili thought they deserved a little time off!


	15. Chapter 15

**Chapter 15**

Once the cleaning up was over, Vorinia proposed riding over to Lambo's Field Hold.

"Who was Lambo?" demanded Irette, ever curious.

"Obviously, the founder of the Hold; there's a chasm called Lambo's Leap, which old stories will have it that he jumped clear over to escape Thread, being then able to shelter in caves in the higher cliffs on the other side. The chasm splits an alpine pasture, essentially, the mountain face on the other side having natural caves, where the Hold was initially established" said Vorinia "Nowadays the Hold is further along the alm; the rock is more easily workable to enlarge caves there, the original Hold caves are not entirely stable. But herders use them to shelter still. They are too North facing; not such a good position as the West-facing Hold, which is, as you might say, round the corner of the alm.

"I'd like to see this Leap" said Irette.

"Well I see no reason we should not come back that way" said Vorinia "There is a path down into the canyon formed by the chasm; it's a bit steep but perfectly feasible to traverse for it's been cut that way. The bottom of the canyon leads back to the main trail north to Northfork. I think a bridge over the canyon would be a good idea myself; it is narrow enough to bridge it and would open up the alm on the other side to pasture. I'll be putting THAT to Olban too."

"How come you have a Hold up on the alm all year riund?" asked Glenayse "I thought almcots were only occupied in summer."

"There's peculiarly local weather conditions that keep it more temperate than you might expect so high" said Vorinia "I don't know what causes it, I suppose the configuration of the nearby mountains, that means we get almost exclusively southern and western winds, and at that, usually updraughts from warmer valleys. Also Lambo was establishing it long enough ago that actually the oldest parts of the Hold are heated by the same unknown power that heats Weyrs; it just raises the temperature as a whole I suppose. It certainly gets no colder up there than down here in Northfork, in whatever combination of conditions, and the beasherders have their caverns all winter long for the beasts."

"Oh that is interesting!" said Glenayse, who genuinely liked to find things out. "Thank you!" she smiled at Vorinia.

oOoOo

The path that wound up to Lambo's Field was gay with flowers at its edges; and the cots that straggled up beside it on small plateaux were in much better heart that Vorinia remembered – all save one, which looked as sullen and tumbledown as ever any of them used to, weeds between the crops and greens right up to the door, an unwarrantable fault; and the beasts milling about in ill-constructed pens rather than led onto the mountainside for pasture were mangy looking creatures.

"There's always one!" laughed Glenayse at Vorinia's disapproving look. "The cothold grumbler who only does as much as he has to and as little as he can get away with!"

"There might be something wrong" ventured Irette.

"We'd better ask" said Vorinia.

Accordingly they turned aside and Vorinia knocked at the door of the cot. It was wrenched open by a none too clean man in rumpled, unwashed garments.

"Whaddya want?" he growled.

Vorinia was taken aback.

"Your land looked in bad heart, the greens not even cleared as will irritate the Weyr; I wondered if there was illness and if you needed help" she said pleasantly.

The man spat.

Vorinia jumped nimbly out of the way with an exclamation of disgust.

"Next one'll be aimed at yer, yer interferin' bitch! Git orf my land! I do-ant need no-one to stick their nose in be it a jumped-up steward nor some overdressed wherry!"

Vorinia fell back.

"You hold this cot from your overlord" she said coldly "Who is the one to adjudge you fit or no to Hold."

"Ar, and he be locked up out of the way" said the cotholder.

"Technically" said Vorinia "As his heir I am your overlord. You'll have this land in better shape by midsummer or you're out."

She turned on her heel.

The language which followed her shocked even seabred Irette; and Vorinia was burning with anger and shame!

"I said there's always one" said Glenayse.

"You know, being right isn't always an attractive characteristic?" Vorinia gave her a rueful grin to show that the words were in jest. "I – I never met anyone like that before."

"You'll be likely to again" said Glenayse pessimistically. "You did right to threaten him. A man must prove competent to Hold; and a wise overlord helps him when his lack of competency is through illness or misfortune. But that….." she left the sentence graphically hanging.

oOoOo

The Hold itself, when they clattered into the yard, looked in better condition than Vorinia had ever seen it. The yard was clean, and people went willingly about their tasks, not creeping and cowering to avoid the attentions of anyone above them. Caligar came to meet them with grooms and started in surprise to see Vorinia and riding so easily.

"It's not a long visit, Caligar" said Vorinia "If you can see our mounts comfortable we'd be grateful but we've not ridden far, they only need a bit of cooling and won't need the tack removed."

"Very good, lady" said Caligar. "Though you've come a long way in other ways; that's a fairly mettlesome beast you have there to ride."

"More feisty than mettlesome as such" smiled Vorinia "She's well behaves but she likes a run if I'm prepared to give it to her; I'm hoping one day to be brave enough to jump her, for she's good over obstacles but – well, it's one of those things that still scares me."

"You make haste slowly, my lady" said Caligar warmly "Slowly does it."

oOoOo

Olban was pleased and proud to show Vorinia and her friends about! He had let the rumours spread that her previous bad temper had been due to frustration over her father's behaviour; and Vorinia found a wary acceptance of her that quickly warmed under her genuinely pleased smile, and the fact that she remembered the names of many of the drudges through having worked beside them – though they would never have realised THAT!

"We're a bit at sixes and sevens over the Crafters as yet" said Olban. "Some wanted to leave, just to get away from where there were bad memories, though at least the crafters involved were ready enough to send replacements once their Craftmasters assigned them. We're waiting on a few at the moment. Some crafters have stayed; and the Bakercraft want to expand and have a small crafthall because of our cheeses and dairy produce. They think they can make confections like cheesecakes that even Benden would be prepared to send dragons for."

"Excellent!" approved Vorinia "If they sell at Highspire and Northfork it'll soon get about."

"What I thought, Lady" said Olban. "It's going well so far on the whole despite the slight occasional hitches while we wait for crafters."

"And apart from one filthy creature in a cothold" said Vorinia, telling him quickly about their encounter on the way.

Olban pulled a face.

"Torsk!" he said "I'm sorry you have met him, lady, and were so insulted. He's a nasty creature and just how he survives I know not."

"I told him to get his act together by midsummer or he was out" said Vorinia "I hope I haven't stood on any ultimatum you've already issued; but if you hadn't got around to dealing with him, I knew you'd back me. It gives him time to show willing, about seven sevendays, and yet if he doesn't, there's time to take himself somewhere else before the weather turns bad."

Olban nodded.

"That was well thought out, lady. I wasn't sure I had the authority to throw him out, acting as Holder not being it."

"After my Turn at Tragen's, I'm for the Weyr; and if I Impress I'll ask Lord Bargen to confirm you" said Vorinia. "And I may, even if I don't Impress, get wed, and end up going to a husband's Hold, in which case the same thing will apply. But I back all your actions in my name and if you wish, I'll write you a warrant to that effect."

"I'd be grateful if you would, Lady" said Olban "I'd feel able to act more decisively against those who are trouble, the likes of Torsk."

"Well so far as he is concerned, part of me wouldn't be concerned if you hanged him with his own intestines from the fireheights" said Vorinia "Though I daresay Lord Bargen might not be happy at such profligate leaving of rubbish hanging around. No, you evict him if he needs it, in my name; and if he HAS shaped up, feel free to do what you have to, to make sure he doesn't backslide."

"It shall be so" said Olban, greatly relieved!

oOoOo

It was good to visit and to see all the changes, but Vorinia was looking forward to going back to Northfork!

Nothing that had been home in her childhood remained here – because that was all a sham, a secure world built on the lies of her father's possessive, so-called love. And Vorinia was not ready to take back Holding; nor did she really feel willing to force Olban to stand aside when he has made the place so essentially his.

Olban was a good man; he would make a good Holder. Vorinia half considered writing to Lord Bargen straight away; but there was no rush. Olban must prove himself – and prove himself too against unforeseen troubles. He could be intimidated, as witness his unwillingness to act against Torsk without her sayso.

It might be that he fancied that he WANTED to return to the status of steward under her; but he had to find out for himself that he was capable of acting alone.

Meanwhile Vorinia had a niche in Tragen's and Kaili's household, where she was quite happy.

And she was more than content to stay there for the foreseeable future!

She bade farewell cheerfully therefore to Olban; and the girls prepared to ride around the alm to look at Lambo's Leap as Vorinia had promised Irette that they should do.

oOoOo

The Leap was a fissure that split the big pasture land on the northern side of the mountain, caused by some earthquake or upheaval in the geologic past, and deepened by the stream that now trickled through its bottom cutting away slowly but surely. Vorinia half doubted the story that a man on foot could make the leap, more than twenty feet at its narrowest point; though with the terror of Thread closing behind him she supposed that fear might have loaned him wings for what would normally be a superhuman effort.

"He was on a good runnerbeast then!" said Miresa.

"No; reputedly he was on foot" said Vorinia.

"Impossible!" gasped Glenayse.

"Under normal circumstances? Yes. With Thread at his back? I'd not care to dismiss it out of hand" shrugged Vorinia "It's a legend. For all I know the whole story might have been made up just to explain why he founded a Hold where he did, a story made by future generations who wanted to have an interesting ancestor."

"Oh I think it's a daft enough story to have the ring of truth" said Glenayse.

"What a jump, huh?" said Irette; and before anyone could react or say anything she set her heels to her runnerbeast and rode straight at the chasm!

The mare was unhappy and tried to shy away from approaching the edge; but Irette was cramming her, ignoring the protesting shouts of her fellows, who had found their voices; and she rode forcing the mare forward regardless.

The runner beast stopped suddenly on the brink.

Irette did not.

At full speed she fell over the mare's lowered head with a piercing and despairing cry, flying out over the chasm.

The other girls froze in horror.

Falling down the chasm was certain death.

Fortunately the impetus of the speed at which Irette had been riding carried the girl all the way across; and somehow her seabred instincts had the girl clinging onto the further brink.

Her fingers did not however have a good purchase; and they were slipping.

Glenayse, normally the level headed one, started screaming; Miresa was, predictably, in tears; and even Josis had frozen. Vorinia saw it all in a moment of crisp, bright clarity; then she too was urging her own mount forward, giving the beast her head, letting her choose the time to jump.

There was a moment of the sensation like taking off on dragonback; and then they were on the other side, well clear of the edge.

Vorinia slid off the mare's back with a brief pat and word of praise; and was running to where Irette's hand clung with vain desperation to clods of earth that were pulling away. The older girl flung herself full length, thrusting one leg into a narrow, water-cut gulley that ran perpendicular to the chasm to give herself some purchase by wedging the leg; and grasped the younger girl's wrists with a grasp strengthened by wringing washing.

"I have you, Irette" she said, and noted with surprise what her voice sounded quite calm. "Let go of the earth and take my wrists."

"It – it's going under my feet too!" whimpered Irette as she did as she was told.

Vorinia was glad of the warning.

As the slender foothold that had taken some of Irette's weight crumbled, Vorinia found herself supporting the younger girl entirely.

The pain was cruel; but dragonriders would come. Somebody would send for them.

"Can you not scramble and let me help you climb up?" she asked Irette.

"No!" cried Irette "There's nothing to get my feet on; oh don't let me fall, Vorinia!"

"I shan't" promised Vorinia, gritting her teeth.

oOoOo

On the other side of the chasm, Josis slapped Glenayse out of her hysterics.

"You ride the best; go back to Northfork for a firelizard to go to the Weyr! Miresa, stop that silly childish blubbering and go and get Olban! Vorinia – hang on! Help is coming!"

Vorinia could only manage a half nod's acknowledgement of that; but Josis was content that she had heard.

oOoOo

Vorinia hung on.

Red mists swam before her eyes; it felt as though her arms were being pulled out of their sockets. Her back was twisted horribly where she had jammed her leg in the crevice; but she was glad to have done so. Irette's weight was pulling her over, only the unyielding nature of the water-cut stone gripping her leg was holding her back.

How long could it be? Dragons came _Between_ in three heartbeats…..firelizards could carry messages….

None of them had firelizards.

Vorinia almost passed out in shock when she realised that the nearest firelizard was at Northfork; nobody at Lambo's field had one.

Grimly she set her teeth; and hung on.

This was going to be a long haul.

"Vorinia, oh Vorinia, are you awake? Oh don't let me go, open your eyes!" Irette was sobbing in terror. Vorinia forced her eyes open; the girl's face was just visible before her.

"I shan't…..let….go…..kiddy" Vorinia gasped "D'you…. think you …..could try to find a foothold?"

The weight bobbed painfully, horribly as Irette kicked around.

"NO!" she said "I knew there wasn't!"

"Well you hold me and I'll hold you" said Vorinia.

"It hurts!" Irette whimpered "My arms hurt!"

Vorinia wanted to say, yes, so do mine, live with it you little ninny; but she swallowed the urge.

"Yes, it will hurt" she said instead, trying to sound patient. "It- it's only pain. Concentrate on…..on something else."

"What?"

"Let – let's sing the duty song" said Vorinia.

It was not a tuneful effort; and was rather disjointed. And someone was drumming; and the beat did not fit it; and then Vorinia realised suddenly that it was the Hold drum, begging the Weyr for aid.

"Oh!" she said in relief to her mind, if not to her body.

"What?" cried Irette.

"And you a Harper?" said Vorinia "The Hold have sent a drum message to the Weyr; they will not be long now!"

"Only just now sent?" Irette did not seem to find it comforting.

"Faster than sending to Northfork for a firelizard" said Vorinia through her gritted teeth wishing that Irette would just TRY to be positive.

And then there was a blast of air down onto her back and a dragon bugle. By now the draught fanned someone else; Vorinia's mind was so dulled with pain she was scarcely aware of anything else. But then strong arms were reaching past her to take the awful weight.

"All right, Vorinia, you can let go now" H'llon rumbled "I have her."

Vorinia let go; and surrendered to the dark mists of unconsiousness she had been fighting for so long, and passed out, only vaguely aware that H'llon was speaking sharply to Irette to make her let go of Vorinia's own wrists.


	16. Chapter 16

**Chapter 16**

Vorinia swam in and out of consciousness; pain shot through her and she roused enough to scream and heard a voice say,

"Easy does it; the kid's twisted all awry"

Then blesses blackness took her again. Somewhere she was vaguely aware of being examined, poked, probed enough to elicit a groan from her; and then a quiet voice told her to drink this.

Vorinia gulped on the bitter draught; she knew it was fellis and that brought blessed sleep. Next time Vorinia awoke it was to a full awakening.

She opened her eyes on a strange room and promptly tried to sit up.

Pain shot through her, and as she tried to bite back on a cry the woman beside her pushed her down gently.

"You must not try to sit up for a while yet, dear" she said "You've pulled your spine badly; and all the ligaments are torn and overstretched; and you've dislocated your shoulders too and one hip. There may be a fracture too from the twisting."

Vorinia blinked. That was extensive.

"How long have I got to lie down for then?" she asked. "What about the kid? Irette? Is she all right? H'llon took her from me; that's about the last thing I remember."

"Irette has slightly wrenched shoulders – a mild case of dislocation, she'll be able to go back to Harping before winter" said the woman "My name is Faylina; you're at the Healer hall."

"And how long am I to lay down?" asked Vorinia, suddenly suspicious that this question had not been answered. "I'd rather you didn't avoid the issue; I'm not a kid. I'm sure I can receive bad news with equanimity. It – it's not going to be for life, is it?"

"Well if you think you can handle it" Faylina shot her a shrewd look "You'll be on your back for several months; and you'll have to use a stick for several months after you're allowed up too. You should be approaching full fitness in a turn or so."

"A turn!" it was a long time; but not a lifetime. "Well I guess I shan't be at the next hatching then" added Vorinia, trying not to feel sorry for herself.

"Next hatching? No, you'll have to wait for another Queen to be shelled, my dear. Was there one at High Reaches then? With all the drama over Benden's stolen egg, we've only been concentrating on the news from there."

"Stolen egg? What's this?" Vorinia demanded.

"It's all right; it was returned" Faylina soothed.

There was more to it than the Healer was saying; but Vorinia hurt too much to care greatly.

"Am I allowed to use my arms or am I supposed to let the pain dictate?" she asked.

"You'll rest them for a few days, dear; I'll feed you" said Faylina. Vorinia made a face.

"How the shards am I to get up for the necessary?" she demanded.

"You ask someone for the special bottle" said Faylina "You MUST stay flat. For the other, we'll lay a sheet under you until you can move enough to be hoisted out onto a stool….. and thanks to the dragonfolk that you'll have that comfort with their clever hoist!"

Vorinia was horrified!

"It'll be like being a baby!" she said, aghast "How humiliating!"

"My dear child, we're quite used to dealing with such things – at least if there is a fracture it has not severed the spinal cord, for you have the feeling to know when you need to go. And don't you DARE try to hold back until we're ready to move you!" Faylina added sharply "Or I'll issue you with a purgative!"

"I won't" promised Vorinia.

"That friend of yours, Josis, offered to do it all" said Faylina "That's a friend worth having! But she's not trained to move you properly so I turned her down, bless the child. Will you like to see her for a few minutes?"

"Yes please, Faylina" said Vorinia "She's the best."

oOoOo

Josis came over to kiss Vorinia on the cheek.

"That heedless piece Irette got off lightly" she said grimly "But I made sure she knew how much she'd hurt you – she seemed to think that she was worse hurt than you are because she was the one dangling, so I put her right about THAT! It's about time she had consequences of stupidity hammered into her!"

"How's Lady Neatfoot?" Vorinia asked the burning question; the mare had got her safely across, and she wanted to know if SHE had suffered any strain as a consequence.

"Oh she's fine!" said Josis "She was VERY pleased with herself for her pretty footwork. Glenayse led her home eventually, she was happy cropping grass until Glenayse could get round – that was Lady Neatfoot cropping grass" she giggled "That was a magnificent jump – especially for someone who's scared of it!"

"I was more scared for Irette than I was of the jump" said Vorinia "Lady Neatfoot's a better mare than Irette's Prettytoes; Tragen reckons Irette rides like a sack of tubers, and Prettytoes is at least tolerant. Though not of being put at a jump beyond her capacity I guess."

"Any sensible runner'd have refused it" said Josis. "Good job Lady Neatfoot isn't sensible!"

"She knew I knew she could do it" said Vorinia "For a moment there, I could almost see what being a Whisperer might be like. I'm glad Irette'll be all right; though I guess I do resent coming off worse for saving her stupid tail."

"The Weyr respect you for it though" said Josis. "If that's any consolation. I guess the best compliment came from Y'lara, who said to tell you to get well quick and Impress and join the Mountain Rescue team because you'd be a fardling good asset."

Vorinia chuckled.

"Direct and to the point" she said "That's nice of her."

"They've awarded you the Silver Star too" said Josis "For saving life in the High Reaches."

The Silver Star was a white, star-shaped flower embroidered on a patch, worn by such members of the mountain rescue tea as had helped to save life in the mountains, and it was worn by a large number of Dragonriders at High Reaches Weyr. Few non-Riders gained it, though; and it was respected across the region, as the Silver Shipfish was respected as an award for those who had saved life at sea.

"I – I guess I acted without thinking. No, that's not true; everything around me got slow and clear, and I know I had to grab her. But it was a knowledge that went beyond thought" said Vorinia. "Oh Josis! It hurts such a lot and I'm going to be so bored!"

"Not if your friends have anything to do with it" said Josis. "We'll bring news and tell stories when you're well enough to take an interest; and that sharding Irette can fardling well use her Harpercraft to entertain you with songs and ballads to make up for putting you there. She wants to" she pulled a face "To try to say sorry for causing it."

Vorinia grimaced.

"Well I guess she needs to feel sorry to start to learn" she said "So long as she doesn't get maudlin about it. does she think I'm a monster or something not ready to forgive? If you can forgive me deliberate unkindness, I can surely forgive thoughtlessness!"

"Easier perhaps than I can forgive her for hurting my dear friend and adopted sister" said Josis "Well, she's a sadder, wiser kiddie now."

Faylina bustled in at this point to shoo Josis out; and the older girl affectionately kissed Vorinia again before she obediently left. Vorinia was left to her thoughts. Josis had been right not to let Irette believe jauntily that all was well; but it must be hard for the kid to realise that her silly jump had crippled a friend for a turn. Or more; Faylina had said 'approaching fitness in a turn or so' which was Healer-speak for probably more.

She must ask to see Irette as soon as possible to put the child's mind at rest over whether or not she was to be forgiven; without letting her feel that she was to be considered blameless. It WAS Irette's fault of course; but Vorinia thought that she could see why the girl wanted to jump. It must be, she reasoned, to defy fear, in the same way that the old Vorinia had ridden the high spirited beasts her father chose for her and put them at fences to prove that she could.

Now fear of jumping was gone entirely having tackled the most fearsome jump of her life.

It was ironic that it would be many a long month before she ever rode again!

oOoOoO

Vorinia was wrong in some of her assumptions.

It had not been to banish fear that Irette had tried to jump; but simply because the chasm was there and somebody had already jumped it and that on foot.

The girl explained this to an uncomprehending Vorinia, rather tearfully, whilst declaring that she would never do anything without thinking again!

Vorinia certainly hoped that it would be true; and tried to swallow scepticism!

Irette would, at least, probably think a little more before she acted in future; which had to be good.

It was a steep price for Vorinia to pay to teach her the lesson though; and distinctly unfair.

But then, Vorinia told herself, when was life ever fair? and she had been thoughtless enough herself, and in a less cheerful and pleasant way than Irette, so she must bear it with patience for having avoided any consequences of her own foolishness in the past.

It was Vorinia's patient acceptance that made more impression on Irette than anything else, as it happened; for it was unconsciously a reproof to that quicksilver maiden's over impatience over how long her own painful shoulders would take to be healed. Once Irette knew that shoulders wrenched worse than hers were the least of Vorinia's injuries she tried to keep quiet about her own woes, and did a lot of furious thinking!

Irette was starting to grow up at long last!

oOoOo

It was a long, uncomfortable summer; and only Vorinia knew at times how hard it was not to snap when Faylina and others were only trying to help her. It was a small victory to be allowed to be hoisted out onto a stool pierced to use as a necessary, with a bucket inside the seat; but to be dependant on people to get her there was something that galled Vorinia's proud spirit. She DID over-ride the optimistically over helpful Irette when the girl swore she knew how to work the hoist and suggested that she might do it for Vorinia – who sent the girl instead to get a Healer who was, as Vorinia pointed out, trained in its use.

In any case, Vorinia has no intention of being seen to be so helpless in her hygiene requirements before Irette, even had she NOT had visions of being hoisted awry and dangled, or lowered head first into the necessary bucket or any more of a number of disasters it was possible to imagine happening with one of Irette's record!

Irette's determination to be helpful was becoming more of a hindrance than a help; and Vorinia reflected that the sooner the girl got back to Harping the happier everyone would be.

She begged Master Oldive to sent them both back to Northfork as soon as they had some independence, especially Irette.

He laughed.

"I'm inclined to agree" he said "She could continue to study theory and voice training though I don't want her holding instruments for long periods for a month or two. I was keeping her because I thought her presence might cheer you up but having got to know her better I can see that maybe I was wrong."

"That cure's worse than the sickness" said Vorinia dryly "She's driving me _Between!_"

oOoOo

Irette duly departed for Northfork, promising to visit as often as T'han was free.

As Josis was also visiting, Vorinia gave her friend an agonised and pleading look!

"Oh T'han's back in the Weyr" said Josis "We have a smokeless weyrling who is poor at going _Between_ as yet; I'm having to rely on Impressed relatives to visit while he learns his way around visualisations."

Vorinia heaved a sigh of relief!

Josis' visits were always welcome; how much more she could take of Irette without losing her cool and snapping at the girl, Vorinia was not sure!

By the time of the ill-fated attempts of T'kul and B'zon to be involved in the Istan mating flight, Vorinia was allowed to sit up for a couple of hours at a time and take herself – cautiously – to the necessary stool; and Master Oldive gave her permission to return to Northfork providing she obeyed all his strictures.

Vorinia grinned.

"I have to be obedient!" she said "You'll tell your instructions to Kaili; and she don't permit ill-trained fillies in her stables!"

Oldive laughed.

"It's only because Holder Tragen and Lady Kaili are so down to earth and sensible that I'm permitting you to go" he said "I expect that you'll feel like doing a little more day by day; but you MUST lie flat the moment your back aches – not think that you can just finish whatever it is you happen to be doing when you notice the pain."

"I will" promised Vorinia.

Being able to sit, even when only raised a little, had meant that she could sew again; and though she had been able to knit lying flat, it had only been the simplest of things like blanket squares. Even so, it had reduced the tedium somewhat; and a gay blanket would adorn some orphan's bed. Josis had joined all the squares and Glenayse had knit a lacy edging for it; but working with wool, even in the cool Healer Hall, was not always pleasant in summer!

oOoOo

Back at Northfork, Vorinia felt very welcomed! H'llon had – in consultation with Master Oldive – constructed a chair with a back that reclined so Vorinia could be wheeled outside and then lowered, if necessary, to total flatness; or to a comfortable reclining position. Josis' Journeyman teacher had readily given her all the time off she required to see to Vorinia's needs!

"I'm to go to the Woodcrafter Hall at Turnover" she confided. "Journeyman Pettar thinks I won't be long before I confirm as a Journeyman; and I – I would like to. I hope you don't mind?"

"Mind? I'll be thrilled for you!" said Vorinia. "I'll miss you – I shan't pretend otherwise – but I hope when you've confirmed you'll be going to the Weyr where we'll meet up again!"

Josis laughed.

"That's a long way ahead; but it's a nice ambition to share. You'll be up and about long before I make journeyman I've no doubt."

"We'll see" said Vorinia "I'm not about to second guess my colours before they hatch. It's tempting fate! Oh, but I'm glad to be home – and able to spend some time with you!"

Fortunately Vorinia had not to spend too much time with Irette; for the girl was to go to the Harper Hall where the new Masterharper Sebell was intending to pursue a more positive policy in apprenticing girls. Irette was fairly bubbling!

oOoOo

Vorinia was unable, of course, to be of much practical help for the autumnal Gather when it came; but she knew Tranora's ways well enough to direct drudges and answer their questions over what was to be done next. Josis took her out to the Weyr stall too, to chant to her many Rider friends; for Dragonriders had dropped in to the Healer Hall over the summer to cheer her up as well as those who visited Northfork for a variety of friends to be found there! As D're put it,

"Sure, if the kid can go in less than a turn from spoilt baby t' putting the life av another before herself to that extent and takin' injury for it, she's the sort of fardling hero we need on a dragon!"

As D're's definition of a hero was 'someone stubborn enough and daft enough in the head to do the job sane people give up on' and covered him equally, his friends laughed cheerfully and agreed!

As a sign of approval – and to help while the girl was incapacitated – the Weyr presented Vorinia with a firelizard egg; and she was delighted with little brown Pal, when he hatched! True, he managed to hinder as much as help by tangling her threads and wools; but he soon learned to be very adept!


	17. Chapter 17

**Chapter 17**

As the winter set in, Vorinia was allowed to do more, though the cold often made her back ache. Being able to get up and walk about for short periods however was a joy! And she might rest in other positions than flat on her back, which meant she might lie on her side with Kaili's little girl beside her for her afternoon rest, telling the babe nursery rhymes. Kaitra was a delightful and sunny natured child, her chestnut curls framing an elfin face. Small wonder that she was passed around from hand to hand amongst the fosterlings, and the other females of the Hold for that matter!

Kaitra could truly be said to have ridden before she walked, for both Kaili and Tragen took her up before them on their respective mounts from the time she could sit steadily on her own; and with Pettar's help, Josis soon built her a rocking-runner, painted round the saddle in Northfork's colours that its jockeys wore too in tan and pale grey. Vorinia sewed the little girl a jockey's outfit with grey trews and the short tunic half grey, half a woven diamond pattern in grey and tan, the little girl's had too in quarters of the two colours and a peak of grey; these were to be her Turnover gifts.

Kaitra squealed with delight when she opened her gifts; her Turnover celebration was a few days early so Tragen might go to the High Reaches Hold Gather, for the babe was too young to know much about time and certainly too young to go.

It was a time of some sadness too for Vorinia, for Josis was off to the Woodcrafter Hall! And yet she was glad for her friend that she would finally prove that she was more than adequate as a woodcrafter!

Josis was sad to leave Vorinia, as well as excited; and glad too that her friend was more active and would not need her to fetch and carry. Josis had not resented fetching and carrying for a disabled Vorinia as she had for the spoilt and able bodied one; and had gladly been on hand to pick things up until Vorinia had sent her sharply back to her apprenticeship duties!

"I can ask anyone to pick up my things if I'm silly enough to drop them" she had said "You MUSTN'T waste more time – I've cost you too much already!"

Josis had been torn! She had wanted to be as good as she could be and appreciated Vorinia's insistence on it; but she had wanted to spend time with her friend too!

Pettar had suggested a compromise, seeing his apprentice's concern, and Vorinia had spent time with her sewing in her chair in the woodcrafter workshop!

oOoOo

It was a time for other goodbyes; the turn was up and the other fosterlings that were still left were to return to their homes. Miresa was now capable of being a real help to her brother-in-law; and Glenayse was bubbling over becoming the assistant to her Great-uncle's ageing head of the stables with intent to take over from him when he retired in a turn or even less. Not, she said, that it would stop him interfering, for Pullgar was not suited to be a sedentary old uncle! But his joint-ail was getting worse, and it was unfair to keep him working long hard hours; Priarish would maintain his services as beasthealer primarily, rather than just finding him comfortable quarters to grow old in, for Pullgar would hate that!

And when Tragen returned from the Gather, there would be new fosterlings coming. There were to be boys as well as girls, who wanted to train around runnerbeasts specifically; though girls would not be taken necessarily just from those who wanted to learn more of the stables. They would learn to ride properly of course if they did not, or improve and extend their skills if they did; and might hunt for the table, as Glenayse and Miresa had done over the summer and autumn under Tragen's direction.

Vorinia had hunted with groups of young people before her change of heart; and strongly suspected that those social affairs, filled with more giggling than tracking, and the efforts of the boys to show off riding skills and marksmanship were a far cry from Tragen's idea of a hunt. She was quite right. Tragen was a pragmatic man who held that the purpose of a hunt was to hunt; and if one wished a social ride one should take a social ride and not dress it up as something it was not!

oOoOo

The first fosterling to arrive returned from the Turnover Gather with Tragen.

Lyster was a boy of eighteen turns and the son of the chief groom in Lord Bargen's stables. The boy's father Lyson had, reading between the lines, ambitions for his boy, and hoped he would make a connection with some Ranking girl he shared fosterage with; possibly even someone like Vorinia who, to Hold in her own right needed – in Lord Bargen's opinion – a man to guide her.

Vorinia had no intention of marrying to please Lord Bargen; if she came to Hold it would be on her own terms and she would take it to a conclave of local Holders if need be!

Lyster seemed more interested in the stables than in chatting to Vorinia in any case; so whatever his father wanted was fairly immaterial. The comment,

"My father wants me to meet nice girls but I hope you're not offended that I'm not yet interested in forming any romantic relationships" was quite unequivocal and revealing of his father's intent! Tragen put the boy into the care of Jado; whom Lyster promptly tried to boss for being 'just a stable boy'.

As Tragen treated Jado and his brother as something akin to favoured nephews, Jado had the confidence to tell Lyster firmly that he had come to learn; and he, Jado, would be helping him with that and there'd be no nonsense about the matter!

Tragen came to hear of the incident – there was very little that Tragen did not come to hear of – and after a word with Kren and their foster father Morill, he moved Jado into the dormitory he had prepared for the boys since there were not to be any older lads; and made sure that Lyster heard him apologise to Jado for putting him in with outsiders but since he needed a steady head of dormitory there was no other choice. This gave Jado Rank and put Lyster in his place in one sentence! Tragen considered that if Lyster had picked up the bad habit of throwing his weight around at stable boys because of his father's position that was a habit that must be broken!

Tragen had only arranged the fosterage of one other boy so far, Lowri's small brother Riarn. The boy was just thirteen turns old, and was a younger son. Lowri's next brother, Lowarn would inherit the cot when their parents died, and Riarn was glad of the opportunity to learn more about Runners from an expert like Tragen. Like his sister he was not actually quite a whisperer, but he had instincts about runners that were beyond normal. A cheerful lad, Riarn soon attached himself to the stable boys Felghe and Lynel, a turn or so each way of his own age. Lynel had just lost his closest crony to the new Weavercraft Hall at Rivenhill, the boy Jaid having grown too tall to be a jockey and enjoying weaving as a hobby too so moving to make that his craft. Felghe and Lynel were the two youngest stable boys and had formed an alliance perforce. Felghe was glad to have a lad around who was closer to him in age, and Lynel was glad to have a friend who was a bit merrier than serious Felghe. So Riarn, finding friends, firmly ignored any strictures Lyster tried to put on him – not even being head of the fosterlings, as he pointed out – but obeying Jado because Lynel and Felghe respected him. That this irritated Lyster won the older boy no sympathy elsewhere!

Riarn also attached himself firmly to Vorinia, being a sympathetic lad and ready to help anyone anytime; he designated himself chair-pusher now – as he heard in a chance remark – Vorinia's friend had gone off to confirm in her craft. That it also gave him the opportunity to help with little brown Pal was of course and added incentive!

Vorinia thought him a delightful child; and did her best to entertain him with stories on the cold, long winter evenings when his other friends had long gone to their respective quarters over in the stables. He was fascinated by tales of Dragonriders, and most respectful of the Silver Star Vorinia wore proudly at her knots; he hung on her every word. As Vorinia was not far removed in age from his adored older sister this was hardly surprising; and he also loved to play games with little Kaitra, of an age with his nephew and only a little younger than his smallest sister Lowilla!

There were two other sisters after Riarn before Lowilla, he told Vorinia cheerfully, Rillowna who was rising eleven and Larna, almost seven. Their mother spread them out well, he explained, only Lowilla being a bit of a surprise.

"Mother calls her 'our nicest accident'" he explained earnestly.

As Lowilla was five turns younger than the next child, Vorinia could quite see that she had been rather unintentional since the others were spread neatly at three turn intervals!

"Is your mother going to have another to keep Lowilla company?" she asked.

"I don't know, but if I'm off her hands, and Rillowna comes here too – my next sister – I should think that she might, to stop her getting spoilt" said Riarn seriously. "It's easy to spoil a baby you know when she's the only baby; and there's nothing worse than a spoilt brat!"

Vorinia laughed and agreed fervently!

"She wishes to come here then. Rillowna I mean?" she asked.

"Oh yes, she'd like to be a jockey" said Riarn. "Larna, the next one, she's not so keen on runners, but she likes sewing and knitting so I should think when she's old enough she'll be a weaver apprentice, 'cos if a girl has a craft she can still marry but if she doesn't have a craft, all she can do is marry. And if she has a craft she's got something to fall back on. Lowri's just wanted to farm 'cos she's been stuck on Alaran since she was about thirteen though – cuh, that's my age!" he exclaimed in disgust "I don't much like any girls 'cept my sisters" he added parenthetically "So anyway, all Lowri wanted was to be wed, but she knows enough about farming to keep up a cot if she had to. I'm to big to be a jockey, and though I shouldn't mind working for someone like Tragen I wouldn't half like to go to the Weyr."

"Well that can be easily arranged – with Lady Kaili's brother being a Bronze Rider" said Vorinia "You can ask as your Right you know. I'll be going myself when I'm fully fit."

Riarn grinned seraphically.

"Oh maybe we'll go together" he said "So at least I'll know someone!"

"Well with all the riders we have to visit here you'll know lots of someones!" laughed Vorinia. "But you're wise to learn a trade first – the Weyr encourages that, you know!"

"I guess they don't need runner grooms though, with dragons" said Riarn, gloomily.

"Then you'd guess wrong" said Vorinia "They have a large stable of runners, mules, burros and llamas as pack animals, and to help the mountain rescue teams to get where dragons are too big to go!"

That fired Riarn's imagination!

oOoOo

The girls started arriving too; and Vorinia was still to be dormitory head.

First to arrive was Marssa, a girl of about Vorinia's age or slightly older. She had a cloud of dark hair and big brown eyes in her sallow face that loaned her a piquant look. Tannercraft bred, she had resigned herself to the fact that tanners rarely promoted girls to journeymen; and had taken advice from cousins who had Impressed the previous turn , I'la who was her own age and I'la's younger brother B'rint. Marssa had no desire to ride a dragon; which is to say, as she said to Vorinia, she liked the idea of riding a dragon but not of fighting Thread.

"You may change your mind when you've got used to walking sweep here" said Vorinia bracingly.

"Walk sweep? Surely GIRLS don't have to?" Marssa was faintly horrified.

"Well, no, you don't have to; but you can, you know, to see if you can overcome your fear" said Vorinia. "I found it helped me, and made me feel that I could go to the Weyr – that was before my accident of course" she added. "Now I must wait on being fit again. But we don't shutter here either."

Marssa blinked.

"That – that'll take some getting used to" she said.

"Tragen believes it more healthy to face out fears than give way to them" said Vorinia. "He and Lady Kaili have helped me overcome my greatest fears; of which Thread was one."

"What were the others?" Marssa's nose positively twitched.

Vorinia laughed.

"Runnerbeasts; and looking foolish" she said "No very great thing."

"Were you hurt falling from a runner?" asked Marssa "It's best to get straight back up, but of course if you're badly hurt you can't."

"No, it was an accident in the mountains" said Vorinia shortly. "It's a long story and not one I enjoyed living through so I'd rather not tell it."

Marssa looked disappointed; but subsided.

There were tones of voice that meant that her curiosity was not about to be sated; and that was one of them!

Marssa was as happy to talk about herself as to ferret information about others; she was an open, uncomplicated girl whose love of runners meant that this opportunity more than made up for any disappointment in not progressing in her craft. She planned to return to her family's crafthalls in a minor Hold in Crom with skills to enable her to work with the various packbeasts that were essential to support the craft, and therefore worth more to the craft than an unskilled or partially trained potential childbearer.

"I'll have the status to pick and choose whom I might wed – and have the choice not to wed at all" she said cheerfully. "They'll already be missing me; I'm the only one who can coax old Bella the Burro into the wheel that churns the tanning mix."

"Bella has good taste" said Vorinia dryly. "The smell! She must really respect you!"

"I guess she is fond of me" sighed Marssa "And I miss her already. But they know better than to beat her because the last time the Master tried that she smashed the wheel, upended him into the vat, and ate his hat."

Vorinia chortled.

"Serve him right!" she said.

"Yes, that's what I said" said Marssa cheerfully "And I guess that's another reason I'll never make Journeyman, for I'm not afraid to speak my mind!"

oOoOo

Tragen and Kaili spoke to Vorinia seriously of the next girl before she arrived.

"Brina grew up, in some ways like you, a motherless child of a doting father" said Tragen "And though not so horridly spoilt she is a trifle wilful; and at fifteen turns has become rather wild, inclined to flout her father's authority and undertakes foolish and dangerous pranks. Her father hopes that if she is encouraged into learning all day, in the stable and otherwise, she might not be bored enough to do such things; for he feels he has lost his authority over her. He's a Runnerholder in Ruatha, not so large as we are here, but large enough that he can't keep an eye on her all day, for the grooms won't brook her. She seems to think that everyone is against her, her father told me, if any discipline is exerted; though he felt he had to whip her for her last exploit to try to bring home its enormity to her. And I have to say I agree with him" he added grimly, surprising Vorinia who knew how gentle Tragen usually was, despite his dour manner. "She only went and rode a half-broken colt her father had forbidden her to go near."

Vorinia gasped.

"Why, she could ruin the poor beast – or make him bolt and risk breaking his legs for an unaccustomed weight on his back!" she said.

Kaili grinned in delight.

"You've learned well" she said "And it's something a Runerholder's daughter like this Brina ought to know too, so it is. Sure, and what it is that I suspect is that she's not understandin' what it is that she's done wrong, for bein' brought up to do as she's told without bein' told the whys av it; and has been blankly forbidden to touch any prize beast rather than bein' reared t' help wit' them. And ef that's the cause she'll not learn any younger as they say around here; and will settle down f'bein' given work and responsibility. But we'll be relying on ye to watch her in the dormitory with the other girls."

Vorinia nodded.

"I certainly shall" she said "When did her mother die?"

"When she was about eight, so far as I can judge from what her father said" said Tragen.

"Presumably her mother exerted some influence then: and her father hasn't a clue beyond feeding her oats and rubbing her down if she's wet" said Vorinia dryly.

Kaili gave a crack of laughter.

"Sure, and isn't that about the size av it, so it is! Will ye do it?"

"I'll keep my eye on her and try to get her to share confidences; and see if I can make the odd comment that might make her think. Beyond that I make no promises" said Vorinia.

"Nobody can do more than their best; your assurance to keep an eye on her is probably worth more than promises to sort her out from most girls" said Tragen dryly.

oOoOo

Brina was a very pretty girl who looked quite frail at first glance with her ash-blonde hair and creamy Ruathan complexion. Her blue eyes changed shades with her moods; and were stony and grey on her first arriving.

"Hello, my name's Vorinia, I'm senior fosterling" Vorinia greeted her.

Brina started to scowl, then noticed the silver star on Vorinia's shoulder. The award was recognised and respected in Ruatha as in the High Reaches; and the girl's manner changed somewhat.

"You won the silver star? What did you do?"

Vorinia was about to shrug; and then stopped herself.

"A fosterling last turn fell; I held her. That's all" she said.

"I say, there's got to be a lot more to it than that!" said Brina "They don't give those out for nothing! You're not mollycoddled here then?"

"Mollycoddled? Anything but" said Vorinia dryly "But my dear girl, if you've a taste for what you might consider the exciting life, do try to think before you do something you need rescuing from; I'm not sure I can go through that again and the injuries I took slow me down. So you're on your own if you want to try to kill yourself."

And so matter of fact speech made Brina pause as perhaps an appeal to her better nature might not have done.


	18. Chapter 18

**Chapter 18**

Swiftly following Brina arrived Nasela, a merry maiden of just twelve turns. Potterbred, but uninterested in apprenticeship in pottery or other craft, her parents had chosen to give her a turn's fostering to see if she came up with any craft she wished to pursue, and to give her some good useful household training if she did not wish to take up any craft, whilst having the chance to have fun with other young girls. Nasela could take or leave runners; her father had approached Tragen on the excellent reputation of the Holder and his wife. Nasela had the fair skin and fine flaxen hair that was as common in the High Reaches as sallow dark haired looks were in Nabol. She curtsied prettily to the older girls, listened tractably to the rules when Kaili went through them, and kept herself occupied; as the older ones found out later the occupation had been in making them all apple pie beds.

Vorinia realised at once what had happened! She rolled out of bed as others kicked frantically; and went to shake Nasela who had been sent to bed an hour earlier.

The girl was feigning sleep, Vorinia was sure.

"Nasela, you can get up and sort out my bed; I'm not supposed to make beds, or lie awry you know; for my back is still crook" she said quietly.

Nasela put her hands to her mouth.

"Oh I'm sorry, Vorinia! I didn't know, honestly! I'd not do anything to hurt anyone!" she cried

"I didn't think you would; but the consequence is getting out in the cold to put me right. Marssa and Brina are capable of sorting out their own mess" said Vorinia.

"Little horror!" said Marssa cheerfully wriggling out of the folded-over top sheet to restore it to its proper configuration and get between two sheets not inside one.

"Why have you done this, you rotten kid?" demanded Brina "And what have you done?"

"Why? To watch you grown-ups wriggling of course!" said Nasela, giggling. "Have you never heard of an apple pie bed before?"

"No I haven't! you horrible child!"

"Now, Brina, don't over-react to a childish prank" said Vorinia "It's quite simple; the top sheet has been tucked under the pillow and folded back on itself under the blankets and quilt. Pull them down and straighten the sheet down. And at least she's not put your hairbrush at the bottom of it as I have heard tell is a popular if unpleasant trick."

Vorinia had overheard quite a lot of the pranks that went on in the Harper Hall while next to it in the Healer Hall; the adjoining corridors were quiet places in which apprentices might plot.

"I'll pay you back so I will" Brina muttered.

"Why, Brina, have you no more dignity than a babe of twelve?" demanded Vorinia "It's not worth it. What's more for a big girl to pick on a small one could be considered bullying. Ah, thank you Nasela" she added for the young girl had rapidly remade Vorinia's bed. "Go help Brina if she's struggling."

"I can do it myself" snapped Brina.

"Suit yourself" said Nasela "Sorry if you got panicked; I thought just EVERYONE knew apple pie beds. I got my first made for me by one of the apprentices when I was ten."

It was apparent that she thought that Brina was making a big fuss about nothing; and as Marssa had sorted hers out and snuggled down already, and Vorinia – whom Brina had to respect for earning a silver star – took it in her stride, the Ruathan girl sniffed disapprovingly and followed suit in straightening her sheet and snuggling down.

Vorinia threw the cover over the glow basket by her bed and silence reigned.

oOoOo

Marssa and Brina were both to work with the runners; so both rose early.

"Best of luck" said Vorinia.

"I'm sorry, did we wake you?" asked Marssa.

"No, this would be my normal time to rise; it's just that I'm not allowed to" said Vorinia "But from now on I can lie here and think about what you're doing and enjoying the morning in my imagination through your eyes."

"Enjoy? It's dark and miserable" said Brina.

"Oh no it isn't! there's a strip of light sky over Nabol way that pales the stars which are crisp elsewhere in the clear frosty air, and the snow will crunch clean under your feet, gleaming faintly as Belior sets; and the smell is cold and clean outside and warm with runnerbeast scent in the stables; and the oaty smell of the runners' feed rises as you open the food bins. It's a fine morning as I can see stars through the window between the frost flowers on the panes."

"You have that curtain open? No wonder it's so fardling cold!" gasped Marssa.

"I opened it when I went to the necessary just before Maysa came to wake you. It's not been open long" said Vorinia "Hurry up now; Tragen won't be pleased if you're late."

oOoOo

The two girls returned to bathe just before Maysa came to rouse Nasela and help Vorinia to dress; a courtesy Vorinia appreciated and the healers insisted on!

Brina bounced in.

"You were right, Vorinia; it was kind of lovely when I started looking properly" she said "I say, Tragen has GIRL jockeys! How about that?"

"Only Kirilly and Kaili herself as yet" said Vorinia "He won't ask you to race against your father's stables if you make the grade, so don't worry."

"Huh, I don't care if I do" said Brina "My father thinks ladies need safe rides, just because my mother took a fall and broke her neck! It could happen to anyone."

"Well things like that make men nervous about others they love I suppose" said Vorinia, thinking that maybe she had found the meat of the matter.

"Would Tragen?" asked Brina, shrewdly.

"Probably not; but I guess he's a man in a million, which is why he gets on so well with weyrfolk, because he can understand them better than a lot of people. I'm proud to have him as my foster father to rear me; and I wish I had been able to grow up with such a father" said Vorinia "But I guess fathers are not always sensible."

"Is that personal experience?" Brina probed.

"Yes" said Vorinia in a tone that firmly closed the subject. She might share her story later with the other girls; or she might not. And Nasela's little pitchers were awake and flapping too. Vorinia picked up her clothes and swept through to bathe, with Maysa behind her to help.

oOoOo

Kaili introduced another little girl as the girls went to their morning lesson with Horovarn the Harper.

"This is Taladora" she said "Be gentle, girls, for the poor mite's but ten turns old. Her father's not long dead and her brother having to Hold can't be mother and father both t' his little sisther."

"Why not?" asked Marssa.

"Sure, he's but fifteen turns himself, and havin' t' prepare for lambing and early ploughing so he is; and responsible for two hundred souls, near enough" said Kaili.

"I suggested it to Talassan" said Taladora "And he thought it'd stop me running wild or else getting spoilt by people trying to suck up to him. So I figured I might as well train to be a jockey as anything else."

Taladora scarcely looked even ten turns; she was slight and tiny, seeming larger only because her vibrant little personality that seemed to lend a golden glow to her golden brown hair and lightly tanned skin.

"Well I'm not the baby any more" said Nasela in satisfaction.

"No and I'm minded to send for Riarn's sister that I'd not taken before on account of her age" said Kaili. "She's ten too, and mad to be a jockey. It'll give you some company, Taladora, for Nasela's not the riding kind."

Taladora gave Nasela the sort of doubtful look one might give a man exhibiting at a Gather a caprine alleged to have two heads; something not quite believable. There was NOT going to be a budding friendship there, and perhaps that was as well.

A mischievous piece like Nasela, backed by a worshipful small girl could wreak innocent havoc! As Taladora was unlikely to approve of anyone not keen on runners, no trouble need be anticipated in that quarter at least.

Or not too much.

Riarn was odd one out with the boys; and only a turn older than Nasela.

Vorinia heard her telling him about the apple pie beds; and saw the dawning interest in the boy's eyes; and sighed.

Well, she HAD been complaining that things had been too quiet when the previous fosterlings had left!

oOoOo

Horovarn did his question and answer test to find out the extent of the knowledge of his pupils; and found it very mixed. Marssa was well ahead of the others; and Lyster fairly well informed if not particularly capable of relating history to everyday events. Riarn and Taladora were certainly well above either Brina or Nasela; and with Riarn's bright answers and ready questions, Horovarn suspected that his little sister would be well ahead too. It was a nice change to find such well informed children in a cothold; for many cotholders were almost aggressively ignorant.

"Marssa and Lyster, I shall give you advanced work to study" said the Harper "And come to look over how you are doing from time to time. Riarn, you and the two littlest girls will study with me while Vorinia brings on Brina and Nasela to an acceptable level for their respective ages – is that all right by you, Vorinia?"

"I'll do my best, Master Horovarn" said Vorinia "Though I've never taught before."

"Well I've heard you tell stories" said Horovarn "And I don't think you'll have any trouble. Get them through how Fax was able to rise, why he suppressed education; and then I'll take them to cover how the Charter relates to the Duty Song."

Vorinia nodded.

"Very good, sir. You two, we'll go into the dining hall by the fire so as not to disturb the others."

"History's so BORING" complained Nasela, when they got to the dining hall.

"Why do we need dusty old stuff like that?" asked Brina.

"Do you know what happened to some of the people who said things like that twenty five turns ago?" asked Vorinia.

"No" said Brina in a tone that said she did not much care either.

"They fetched up as fertiliser after Fax's men butchered them" said Vorinia grimly "And you a Ruathan! You should be PROUD of how Lessa survived Fax and defied him and played tricks on his men that makes Nasela look harmless; even though Lessa was only a babe of ten turns old when Ruatha Hold was invaded!"

"But that's stories about real people; what has that to do with history?" demanded Brina.

"Stories about real people are what make history" said Vorinia "Think about it – the word says HIS story – meaning the stories of all the people who have ever been. Some of them – like what Fax did – aren't very nice. But I like to think of the things like our own local lord, Bargen, in all his dignity as he now is, back then as a skinny and determined youth hiding out in an empty Weyr to ambush Fax and his supply trains."

"Did he?" asked Nasela.

"Rather! And he got information to the Harper Hall too about what was going on, using people to slip through enemy country to tell how many soldiers there were, risking their lives to get the information out!" Vorinia told them.

She had their attention now; and by scattering interesting stories amongst the information managed to start the process of telling them how evil may flourish when good turns a blind eye, and when those who do not understand history cannot recognise the significance of that evil.

oOoOo

Rillawna joined the girls at the noon meal, joyful and excited over having been collected on a dragon to join the other fosterlings and very well disposed towards Taladora for existing so that she might come early.

"I hope he flew herestraight said Vorinia "L'kar'd starve if he needed a map to find his mouth."

"Oh we did! It was ever such fun!" said Rillawna happily "Can't he go _Between_ then?"

Vorinia grinned.

"Better than he used to he can" she said "And now he has a better than even chance of arriving where and when he aimed at. He's a little nervous of going _Between_ to places he doesn't know, is all."

"Oh well, he's been there now, so it'll be all right another time!" said the child blithely. "I want to ride a dragon when I'm old enough; It's even better than riding runners! But I think being a jockey is the next best thing, don't you?"

"For a long tall sally like me? Be realistic" said Vorinia "I'm the wrong build."

"Oh! POOR you!" said Rillawna.

The child was happy to greet everyone and treat them with egalitarian friendliness, that one could not take offence over; though Brina bristled a little before Rillawna said something that made her laugh!

Rillawna and Taladora hit it off right away; and Vorinia was glad. It would have been particularly lonely for a small child suffering bereavement, however well she seemed to take it on the surface.

The three youngest ones would be sent to bed first each night of course under the dubious leadership of Nasela; and Riarn to his dormitory at only a little later. When Kaili announced that, Vorinia had a strong suspicion that it was to prevent Riarn and Nasela plotting mischief on the way to bed!

Vorinia would retire an hour later yet with Brina, to make sure she kept resting, Marssa, Lyster and Jado permitted half an hour longer. Young bodies needed plenty of rest and Kaili ruthlessly assured them of it with the old saw that one hour before midnight was worth two after!

It remained to be seen how it panned out; and the afternoon's lessons were to happen too as yet. As before they would ride, dance or walk together; Vorinia walking part way with her wheeled chair brought along when they walked, and permitted one of the less demanding dances when they danced but allowed no riding yet.

That afternoon they walked; and Riarn was torn between his self imposed duties to Vorinia and a wish to chatter with Nasela.

"Run on with the other kids, Riarn" said Jado, kindly "I've pushed Vorinia often enough; I'll manage I'm sure"

Vorinia smiled gratitude.

"He's a good kid; but just a kid" she said. "Sure you don't mind?"

"Oh no, I like spending the time with you" said Jado "You talk more sense than a lot of girls."

"And you're not irritating like most young men" said Vorinia, at home with Jado's straight talking tactlessness.

"Are you two walking out?" Marssa turned to ask. Poor Jado flushed fiery red.

"Well we're out and we're walking" said Vorinia, brightly.

"That wasn't what I meant!" said Marssa reproachfully.

"Well what a shame" said Vorinia "For it's what you asked. Up towards the meadow, Jado?"

Marssa did not try to make up a threesome; and the bright day's beauty soon had Jado back to himself again. Tactless clot! Thought Vorinia of Marssa. It might be a natural question, but anyone with even a bit of tact would watch more before asking it, and would see that it wasn't so but just friendship!

Not that there were not worse companions than Jado; if he would but assert himself a bit more.

"Tactless bovine, Marssa" said Vorinia, very casually "I for one am not chasing romance yet. I suppose when I do, I'd wont a man as steady as Tragen who'd be calm when I lose it and who wouldn't let me ride rough-shod over him; as I can too easily to most men, you know."

"Aye, a man ought to be senior partner in a nuptial" said Jado, then lapsed into silence.

Well, what would happen would happen; he knew now how she felt about her own needs.


	19. Chapter 19

**Chapter 19**

Almost all of the fosterlings were studying runner training or riding under Tragen; and it was rather tedious to have only Nasela to sew and sing with. Vorinia hid her boredom manfully however, to help the child to feel less of an odd one out; it was up to the older girl to fit in around the younger after all.

Nasele was quite as nosy as Marssa, and equally tactless as one might expect of a mere child; but her questions were easy enough to turn aside by changing the subject to things that interested almost any youngster, in tales of the Weyr, with a seeming start to an answer and the comment 'oh that reminds me of a time that H'llon…..' or some such seeming casual throwaway remark.

Nasela did not speak so readily about herself as Marssa had; she was a modest child, and basically a god and dutiful one it seemed with the saving grace of a streak of mischief that lifted her from being boring and potentially priggish. Being one of nine children – unusual in a craftbred family – she was used to having her individuality ignored, especially being more or less in the middle with three older and five younger siblings. Nasela really had no idea what to do with her life and her parents were glad enough to shift responsibility for her for a turn. Her older brother and two older sisters had apparently entered apprenticeships in Pottercraft, from what the girl said, her brother because it was expected and one sister in real enthusiasm, the other not unhappy. Nasela wanted more than to be not unhappy; but that was all she knew she wanted. Not that the girl put it thus; but this much Vorinia extracted from her in piecing together what she drew Nasela out to say.

The little girl was not an enthusiastic seamstress, or weaver, though she had been taught the rudiments of both; and she sang prettily enough but without any signs that she was musical either.

A bit like me, thought Vorinia, no real drive to any craft; for I like sewing well enough but not enough to join a weaverhall to study it seriously. Vorinia grinned to herself. There was an irony in considering trying for Impression or being a Lady Holder because of not really being any good at anything else.

Vorinia had started to seriously study knotwork on Y'lara's recommendation, for a possible role in the Weyr in mountain rescue, having shown herself cool in an emergency; and was also taking lessons from the Hold Healer in first aid. She suggested this to Nasela too; but the little girl showed no enthusiasm.

About the most animation to be got out of Nasela was when they worked in the kitchen; and Vorinia suggested to Marilly that the younger girl have extra cooking instruction while she, Vorinia, did first aid.

Marilly thought it an excellent idea.

The girl would never be a great chef, but she had a light touch that could be encouraged!

A decent cook would never be out of a place; and that would provide a proper niche for the child, thought Vorinia!

oOoOo

In the meantime, Brina managed to get into trouble by riding a colt who was prone to throwing out splints on his legs before he had been provided with corrective shoes and contrary to Tragen's express instructions.

Tragen had blasted her first for causing any animal unnecessary pain; and had taken his belt across her own shins to give her some idea of what suffering she caused the poor creature; then made her work out how many turns of drudging would pay off a potentially very saleable runnerbeast – once the problem had been corrected – if she had ruined him permanently and cost Tragen a sale. Tragen let her know in no uncertain terms that he would have the price of any creature she damaged out of her in work as she was old enough to be held criminally liable!

To be called criminally liable rather than a naughty disobedient little girl was a severe shock to Brina. Kept childish by a father trying to protect her, it had not occurred to her that what she saw as harmless mischief to kick off against authority could actually HARM a beast – or be considered criminal damage!

Brina was a quieter girl after that piece of naughtiness; and as Tragen had explained WHY it was so wrong, was quite contrite, for she genuinely loved runners and did not want to cause suffering!

After punishing her, Tragen talked to Brina gently; and took her to the smith to watch the corrective shoes being put on the four-turn-old colt.

"Splints can develop when a beast first begins heavy work like carrying a rider or pulling a carriage" Tragen explained "It's because of the extra load on the runner, and through those slender legs that make them so beautiful. When we lift heavy weights we can pull muscles in our bellies and backs that never heal – as Vorinia's back is pulled out of true holding up the weight of a girl about your age – though she was somewhat larger – who was just as heedless and daft as you. If you think about the weight lifters and strongmen at Gathers, they wear a wide leather belt to hold their backs and bellies. These shoes do much the same thing; they turn the hoof to a better posture, if you will, while the beast is learning to carry a load. Sometimes it works; sometimes the poor beast continues to throw out splints. Devver here is a good Smith however and grew up here around runners. He's just recently come back to replace my old Smith, who started him on his way. Vagor was well enough with the beasts but Devver has the instincts. He's cured every splint we've had in the last turn since he's been here; he can measure by eye how much needs building up and where."

"I can't tall you how I do it though, boss" said Devver, honestly.

"That you can do it is all I ask" said Tragen "Can you help poor Bootsie here?"

The colt was named for one long white sock.

Devver eyed him.

"He's been well overworked boss; someone wasn't taking notice of him starting to limp. I hope you thrash the careless fork-froth."

"I have" said Tragen.

"Good. He'll need shoeing twice I reckon, now and in a sevenday with nothing but harness on him until I give him the second set of shoes."

Tragen nodded.

"Do it; I'll issue instructions."

Brina was very quiet as they left the smithy.

"I'll never do that again" she said in a small voice. "I – I hope the damage I caused him can be fixed by that clever man."

"So do I" said Tragen "It's hard to see a young thing suffer; worse than seeing an ageing runner with joint ail, for Bootsie WANTS to run."

"You meant what happened to Vorinia to be a warning to me too, didn't you sir?" said Brina. "She's one of the young things you hate to see suffer."

"I did mean that; and I'll tell you exactly what happened" said Tragen, and proceeded to do so.

Brina was very red.

Such a chasm would have been a challenge to her reckless nature too!

"I don't give orders without reasons you know" said Tragen. "If I don't always explain things it's either because there isn't time and I expect my people to have the sense they were born with to KNOW I don't give orders for the sake of it; or else I assume the reasons are obvious. For a Runnerholdbred girl you're rather ignorant about runnerbeasts; so your father has something of himself to blame for your disobedience in not teaching you whey he expects instant obedience. He's not going to be giving orders without reason either; but either he assumes he'll be obeyed because he's given an order – not an unreasonable supposition for a Holder – or he assumes you've understood more than you do. Do you know why he was so very angry over you riding that colt that he thrashed you over?"

"No sir" said Brina "I thought it was just because he doesn't like me having fun."

Tragen shut his eyes and counted to ten.

"Unaccustomed to any weight on his back as the colt was, he was terrified" he explained patiently "In terror and sweating a runner can rapidly dehydrate, leading to serious health problems and even at times death; and he will do anything to get rid of that alien weight. This can end up with the poor beast casting himself down and rolling, which can lead to a twisted gut. Some beast healers have operated successfully to cure that but most beasts die. Or in charging about to get rid of the weight he might have broken a leg. So would it have been fun to watch your father put a crossbow bolt in the poor creature's brain as a mercy killing?"

Brina gazed at him in horror.

"Th-those things can happen?"

"Aye, and more" said Tragen grimly "I don't even bother to touch on you being rolled on and your body smashed, nor being thrown and trampled underfoot. You come second to the beasts here, every time. They feed my people."

"I – I see" said Brina. "Why didn't my father tell me that?"

"Maybe he thought you knew – though if he's not instructed you it puzzles me how he should assume you knowledgeable" said Tragen. "Maybe he has some vague idea that his baby girl should not be frightened. You're not MY baby girl so I have no qualms on that head. And MY daughter is going to grow up well informed."

"I guess I- I'd like to write to my father and apologies if I may have the paper" said Brina "I never did apologise because I didn't realise what I did was so wrong. Now I do."

"There's a good girl" Tragen patted her on the shoulder; and Brina was suddenly happy!

She could be forgiven and learn and be with beautiful runnerbeasts without always being in trouble just for wanting to ride – for Tragen had made it clear that she would be riding many different mounts!

It is probable too that Brina learned more from Irette's accident than that feckless maiden did herself.

oOoOo

The two littlest girls got into and out of trouble fairly regularly of course; mostly in the company of Lynel, who was delighted to no longer be the youngest. That Riarn and Felghe often joined in was almost inevitable, though with Felghe murmuring faint protests occasionally.

The straw man made from sacks and old clothes had to be dangled by Riarn alone to tap on the window of the girls' dorm before Lyster came up to the room he shared with the younger boy; and Vorinia, by the window, had received a sudden severe shock to see the figure of a man outside! Nasela had screamed and Brina had grabbed up a heavy boot to hurl at the window!

Fortunately it missed, her enthusiasm being greater than her ability to aim; since cracking the panes would have created a potentially deadly draught in the winter.

"It's a dummy" said Vorinia, recognising the terrible complexion of the grinning apparition as sacking. "Well, well and two little girls asleep though all that; such sound pretend sleep has a guilty sound to its silence."

Rillawna promptly gave the game away by giggling.

"You two owe the rest of us, and especially Nasela, waiting on the rest of us at the table and klah brought to us for the whole of tomorrow" said Vorinia. "Riarn may help too and so you may tell him."

"Yes Vorinia" said Rillawna meekly.

"Who else was involved – if anyone?" asked Vorinia.

"We don't SNEAK!" said Taladora indignantly.

"Well then pass it on that they are on their honour to do something helpful all day in their free time" said Vorinia,

"Yes Vorinia" the little girls chorused.

"Good. Now shut up and go to sleep; and don't bother to answer!" said Vorinia firmly.

oOoOo

Vorinia only knew second hand about the very early expedition on stilts with bases made to look like immense clawed paw prints to mystify and scare the grooms; and about the itchweed liberally scattered inside the jockeys' shirts.

"Young limbs, I half wish I'd never thought of fostering!" declared Tragen, talking to her later.

"At least they stuck to shirts not trews" said Vorinia.

"Aye, and they confessed they'd thought of it and decided that was too much" sighed Tragen. But still…. Young limbs!"

"It's the novelty of being all together to exchange ideas" said Vorinia. "It'll wear off and they'll settle down."

"I hope so!" groaned Tragen. "How many grey hairs have I grown since I first took fosterlings I wonder!"

"Now that's fishing for compliments, sir, for you're as good looking and grey free as ever" said Vorinia "It'll be Kaitra grows your first when SHE's that age."

Tragen groaned again dramatically.

"Thanks for reminding me!" he said.

"No charge!" grinned Vorinia cheerfully.

oOoOo

The stilts actually came into their own and proved useful.

Some Holdless men moved themselves into an empty cot and proceeded to start stealing from their neighbours.

Tragen rode out with several men to remonstrate and negotiate; and was met by a crossbow bolt aimed just over his head. He managed not to flinch.

"Next one goes three feet lower!" called the renegade who had fired.

Tragen was furious on his return; the man with the crossbow had refused to even listen and had taken obvious aim when Tragen began to try to talk.

"I'm not risking my men or beasts – or asking any dragon to risk themselves either" he fumed to his senior staff "What the shards do we do?"

"Sure, and don't we take the little perishers' stilts and walk around near that cot at dead of night, dressed in white to hide against the snow in case any av them thievin' wherry-kites looks out; and ask the little darlin's if they can come up with a device to roar, to make a noise afther we're safely away" said Kaili.

"I'll go to do it boss" aid Kren "Jado'll come."

"Use the Threadfall siren with a pair of bellows and something to muffle it a little to change the noise" suggested Jado "That'd roar all right. Well, howl, anyhow."

"A tin bucket like the end of a trumpet?" suggested Vorinia "And make a wooden rotating thing for the weary, not metal as the real Threadfall siren is, to change the quality of the sound."

Experiments sounded thoroughly terrifying!

Vorinia sat up to wish those going forth on the mission good luck.

"Take care" she said to Jado.

Jado grinned and displayed his own crossbow.

"If they shoot, we'll shoot back" he said "And we'll be tracking them down tomorrow too. Don't worry."

Vorinia did worry of course.

The intrepid beast – Kren and Jado on stilts, because they worked well together, and Tragen on the bellowing contraption, planned to sleep out in survival bags to watch the reaction of the renegades in the morning.

It was Jado's idea to use the big bellows from the Smithy to breath loudly as well as using it to power the howling; and he only regretted that he had not taken the bellows to snuffle around the door.

"Though they might have opened it and fired in panic" said Tragen "So it's as well you didn't."

When the sky was light enough to see, the renegades took one look at the tracks after their disturbed night; and fled.

There were three of them; unused to the mountains and ready to believe in some fantastic mountain beast. They headed down a steep slope to get off the mountain as soon as possible.

Jado and Kren exchanged looks, made snowballs, and sent them gently down the hill after the fugitives.

By the time the silently growing snowballs reached their quarry and had gained enough momentum to make a gentle swishing noise to alert them they were also big enough to carry the renegades' feet from under them before they might take any evasive action.

"Great bowling practice" said Jado.

"And NICE puck work" agreed Kren.

Trussed like fowl, Tragen took his prisoners back to the Hold and held rapid assizes, sentencing the renegades to drudge in his stables for the rest of the winter, their cases to be reviewed in light of their behaviour after that. They would be chained and would sleep in a store room cleaned for that purpose so as not to disturb others; and would work in leg irons shovelling dung.

They would be warm and fed well enough of course; but they would still be prisoners and the shrewd groom Lin put to watch them, for that taciturn fellow liked people less by far than he liked runners, even at the best of times.

The children were of course delighted that their stilts had seen some real work!


	20. Chapter 20

**Chapter 20**

The three renegades turned out to be fugitives from a mine hold where they had been sent for stealing; they had plotted their escape having lost track of how the time had turned. They were utterly unprepared for winter in the High Reaches and were in some ways almost glad of their warm quarters and reasonable food.

"Had you not fired on me, I'd have left you imprisoned but not in chains" said Tragen "As it is, I'll have to decide whether to send you back to complete your sentence."

"Sorr, I beg av you, let us serve our sentence here" said one, a big Ruathan with a thatch of coarse black hair. "It's more humane so it is, even with the shackles, than buried alive wit' hardly any light shovellin' dirt and coughin' yer lungs out. Shit at least is a healthy smell t'breathe in t'be sure."

"How long was your sentence?" asked Tragen

"Another five turns, sorr" was the reply.

"Then I'll remove the shackles after the thaw; but you'll be locked up at night and watched. And if you even try to use any of the children as hostages I swear I will kill you."

"We're not violent men, sorr! We was that desperate, we'd not have fired on yez, but we had t'have somewhere t'stay out of the cold!"

Tragen believed the man; and the nods of agreement from his sandy haired companion. He was less sanguine however about the weaselly fellow with them, whose eyes slid to the side when looked at. There was a meanness to this man's face that suggested he WOULD have used the crossbow to kill.

Tragen told Lin to keep an extra eye on that one. Lin sniffed.

"I look like I was born yesterday boss? I'm going to THAT one enough rope to hang himself with and let him be shot trying to escape. Other two'll shape up."

The other two, named Porrg and Finver, had succumbed to temptation after losing heavily on a sure thing at the races. And they had met their companion Tarso in the mines, also condemned to work of theft.

Tragen made enquiries and discovered that Tarso was less a thief than a knife artist who preferred his victims to hand over their goods in terror than to use skill to steal. The crossbow threat had been his idea.

On the whole, Tragen approved of Lin's plan – so long as none of his stableboys were put at risk through it!

oOoOo

The weather changed overnight as it so often did in the High Reaches; and suddenly it was spring and a clutch was maturing at High Reaches Weyr.

It was only a small clutch, D're told them, only a few Greens and twice as many candidates as eggs even without Search, just from previous candidates and weyrbred children now in age; so on due consideration, Vorinia decided it was not the best time to go to the Weyr. Besides, she would still like to be fitter; and though the better weather would help her aches – until it got hot enough to be enervating – time was the best cure.

Vorinia hardly needed her chair now, save to return from long walks. She lay down for a while after the noon meal still, and retired to bed early; but she was rising earlier and reclining in her chair to teach history to Nasela and Brina. And the Hold Healer pronounced her fit to begin gentle riding again.

Everyone turned out to celebrate Vorinia's return to runnerback! The runner-mad little girls had commiserated much over Vorinia's long period off runners, thinking it the most awful thing that could happen to anyone: and certain that Vorinia must now be the happiest person alive!

Vorinia was; but more because it was another milestone in her recovery than because it was a return to riding. She had become genuinely fond of Lady Neatfoot – not least for the mare's unquestioning trust of her over leaping the chasm – and had visited her daily with a fingerroot or apple as soon as she was allowed to the stables. The mare whickered happily as Jado led her out with tack on towards Vorinia; and the girl gave the mare her customary treat. She was to mount from a block to help her up for the time being, to Lady Neatfoot's surprise; but the mare was quite accepting.

oOoOo

The mare was less accepting, and half reared, when the extra weight dropped on her back!

Tarso had been hiding in the supports of the veranda, and launched himself swinging out onto the crupper of the runnerbeast, seizing Vorinia with one hand and holding a knife to her throat with the other. Little brown Pal squawked in terror and vanished _between_.

"NOW! You'll not hunt me down on this fine beast if I've the cripple brat everyone makes such a fuss over as a hostage!" he gloated. "We're riding out – My Lady" it was a sneer. "If you behave I might not take you before I let you go."

Vorinia's eyes were flint hard: then she winked at Jado, and screeched; sending images to Pal to go to Jado and stay with him.

She had not forgotten how to produce a voice that could cut paper and shatter glass.

"Oh! Oh! Oh! You're hurting my back! Oh, oh, I can't control her!" Her shrieks joined the noise of sobbing frightened little girls.

She kicked her heels into Lady Neatfoot to make her cavort, using her legs to make the mare respond to the dressage moves that Tragen had taught her for greater control. Tarso flicked the knife across her cheek.

"Stop that, and ride! Or I'll spoil your pretty looks!" he commanded.

It had given Jado time to bolt into the armoury for a crossbow.

"Get off that beast and leave my girl alone and Tragen will be lenient" commanded Jado, Pal hissing on his shoulder.

"Hah you don't dare shoot, pony boy; you might hit the high-class loving wench" sneered Tarso "stand aside; or you'll be ridden down. I wasn't joking about cutting you up!" he pressed the knife close to Vorinia's eye.

"Rinny, FREEZE" said Jado.

Vorinia froze Lady Neatfoot with a touch, the trusting mare obeying despite the excess weight in so unbalanced a place for a slender riding beast: and Vorinia held herself still.

Tarso was moving the knife; getting into a more comfortable position; and there was a burning pain in her ear.

Vorinia gasped, and clenched her teeth to hold still. A lock of her own hair floated onto her arm; and the weight on her back was briefly unbearable, then slid away.

And then Jado was lifting her down, cradling her to him.

"Your poor ear; oh Vorinia I didn't dare risk missing him . . . I did right? Tell me if I did right?" his face was anxious.

"He's dead?" she asked.

"Yes . . . I got him in that filthy mouth of his. I'm so sorry I hurt you."

"Ears bleed out of all proportion to the wound" said Vorinia, conscious of warm sticky moistness soaking into her shoulder. "take me in Jado."

oOoOo

The Hold Healer, Master Taivin, checked Vorinia over to see if her back was badly pulled by the experience; as soon as he had bandaged her torn ear.

"You can wear your hair over it to hide the wound" he said cheerfully.

"Or wear it proudly to show Jado's fortitude" said Vorinia. "Oh, who's with the little ones? They'll be so frightened!"

"Lady Kai took them inside" said Master Taivin. "They've had a small dose of fellis and are lying down."

Vorinia nodded.

"Good…. That was a terrifying incident for such babes" she said.

"I shouldn't have thought it was much less so for you" said Taivin dryly.

"Oh! I was too angry to be afraid" said Vorinia "What's going to happen about the others? It wasn't their idea was it? Will Tragen punish them?"

"I neither know nor care" said Taivin "And you should be resting, not fretting."

"I can't rest until I find out all that's going on" said Vorinia "I'm very good at hysterical, you know: I can fret myself into a fever if I don't get to talk to Jado."

"Minx" said the healer. "Well if he's your best boy I suppose that's acceptable."

oOoOo

Jado came in and knelt down by Vorinia's chair.

"I'm so sorry, he says you'll be scarred for life!" he said, shocked.

"Jado, do you think I care? I'd rather have a cauliflower ear and be alive and unraped and that horrid man permanently out of circulation so he can't hurt anyone else" said Vorinia firmly. "I'm so proud, Jado, that you had the strength of will to do it; and to trust me not to flinch."

"I – I guess I felt it was the only thing to do" said Jado "I – I kept thinking, what if Neatfoot steps suddenly or- or you move…."

"Neither she nor I are so ill trained" said Vorinia "And frankly I'd rather be dead at your hands and him with me than be in his clutches" she added grimly "Do you think that I have any illusions about what he meant to do? He'd have raped me half to death and left me, probably irrevocably crippled for he'd not have taken care, to die of exposure or Threadfall. Probably working on me with his knife at the same time because I could tell that it actually gave him a thrill to use it, when he cut my face, his pleasure in that was palpable."

Jado shuddered.

"So long as you forgive…"

"Forgive nothing! There is nothing to forgive! You saved me. Jado, did you mean it when you said I was your girl?"

Jado blushed.

"I know it was forward of me….." he said, shuffling his shoulders uneasily.

"Jado, I can't let a man shoot me and then not demand that he be my er, best boy" said Vorinia. "The only thing to decide will be if we both go to the Weyr or neither."

"M'gol's suggested it too me before" said Jado diffidently "And….in a weyr, it – it doesn't matter if we don't both….."

"Then we'll do that. And you may woo me properly in the meantime. AFTER you tell me how that happened and everything that's going on."

Jado grinned.

"Seemingly this Tarso suggested it to the other two when people were discussing you going riding; they told him not to be a fool. Anyway, he started complaining about a draught in their store-room sleeping place, and got Lin in there to look, and managed to lock him and the two Ruathans in. He had found and hidden a knife; and climbed up onto a support beam to wait. The other two were pretty upset; Porrg was shouting that he should have killed the little forkpudding before, when Tarso first made that suggestion – I'd never heard that one before, I rather liked it. Lin is furious about being caught out by the oldest trick in the book and Porrg and Finver have given fealty to Tragen. They're not to be locked in any more, it was only Tarso he didn't trust on his honour."

"Rightly enough as it turned out" said Vorinia "Did you like my hysterics?"

"I'd have believed in them myself if you'd not winked" said Jado "Great Shells, is that the sort of row you used to make before you grew up?"

"I'm afraid so" Vorinia blushed.

Jado grinned.

"They should have found a few dozen spoilt ladies to point at Fax; it would have scared his mounted troops and demoralised his foot soldiers, surely!"

Vorinia laughed.

"You think the most bizarre things, Jado dear! I was vain and as such thoroughly unlovely; but I've still some vanity – how bad is the cut on my face?"

"It'll heal. And you'd still be beautiful if it left a scar; because you have a beautiful smile and lovely kind eyes."

Vorinia sighed contentedly.

"True love loves the person not the face" she said. "I like your face too though, Jado. We need to…. To commit."

Jado flushed but grinned.

"I guess I'm the happiest man in the High Reaches" he said.

"Pal approves too" said Vorinia, petting the little creatue who was crooning encouragement. "Oh Jado! I am so tired and it's still only this morning!" her eyes suddenly filled with tears of reaction.

Jado took her hand.

"I'm not allowed to hold you close for fear of your back" he said "But I would if I could."

Vorinia squeezed his hand and sobbed gently.

Taivin came in.

"She's ready for some fellis now?" he asked.

"No I fardling well am not!" Vorinia managed. "Jado, you hold my hand, and I'll cry my cry without being drugged up. I'll sleep naturally, thank you Master Taivin."

"I'll make you ip a draught in case you change your mind" said the Healer diplomatically.

It was a good sign in any case.

The worst patients were the ones who fought hardest to recover; he much preferred his patients fractious to tractable, though he had been relieved that Vorinia generally accepted his strictures. Most people saw her patient acceptance; only the Healer saw how dogged and stubborn that patience could sometimes be.

oOoOo

Jado sat with Vorinia as she sobbed away all the fear and horror that she had been too angry to let herself feel; fear of rape, disfigurement, a cruel and hard death or at best fear of being crippled worse by being manhandled; even fear for poor Lady Neatfoot.

And he stroked her hair and her face as the sobs subsided into occasional quiet hiccoughs and Vorinia drifted into exhausted sleep.

And whilst he was, naturally, upset by her distress, he was also over both moons with joy; for lovely Vorinia had looked to HIM to come up with something whilst she used her hysterical outburst to distract the renegade. And she wanted him to come to the Weyr with her – whatever the outcome – and be her man!

Jado felt that life could hold very little more, even sitting cramped up with one arm and both legs going to sleep.


	21. Chapter 21

**Chapter 21**

The hatching of Segrith's clutch brought a small triumph for Northfork when Kyssel, the child of one of the support staff, and unsuccessful at the previous hatching, became K'sel, Rider of Brown Jahath. Tragen and Kaili were there for him of course as well as his parents, and the whole Hold was proud.

The other small triumph, for Kaili, was overhearing the two one-time renegades discussing the success of 'our candidate'. Kaili was nobody's fool; and she knew well from what had been said – and left unsaid – that Porrg and Finver felt more settled at a Hold where the Lady had a Ruathan accent; and where they were around runnerbeasts too. And Tragen had taken the time to chat to them and explain that in his long experience a man who has a system at the races is generally a man who is out of pocket.

"Any creature, human or animal, handled badly will behave badly" he added "You've stolen once; I don't know all the circumstances that made you think that a good alternative to honest and honourable behaviour. If I take you on with a fresh start, we'll put that behind you, and I'll expect you to come to me if you're in financial or other difficulties. That's part of my duties to sort out. If you're in difficulties through your own profligacy, I'll arrange you extra work to pay off any loans I make you: and I'll be fardling cross if you do it more than once, for I'm happy to give instruction into how to handle your finances if you've no clue. And if you fail to take me up on that, you've but little excuse. If you've a weakness for betting, I'll have a man to watch each of you so you only bet what you can afford to lose."

Porrg shook his head in emphatic denial.

"'Tisn't that, sorr, we were in partnership carryin' small goods with a couple o' pack ponies, around cotholds; and one was lamed when a Blood's hunter kicked it; and we thought we could recoup our losses on a race and bet more than we had, thinkin' t'pay it off, but the fardlin' creature fell over! Then we had t'pay the bookies we'd given notes to, so we nicked it off the Blood that lamed our beast, for we thought it fair so we did!"

"Did you not think to claim compensation from him fair and square?" demanded Tragen, disapprovingly.

"That one, sorr? Sorra a jot, for he's av had us whipped and thrown out laughing, and his feyther thinkin' the sunn and both moons shone out o' his sorry fundament!"

"And what is the name of this Blood?" asked Tragen, wondering how much they might be exaggerating.

"Teffer of Pars; his feyther is Tefan" said Porrg.

Tragen sniffed and expressive sniff; no exaggeration there then.

"Hm, well, compensation is going to be hard to get now; Tefan's been deposed and Teffer is scrubbing necessaries from now until the end of time or the fall of the moons whichever comes first; for the kidnapping and threatening of his little half sister. I'll talk to Bargen; he should at least get the sentence against you wiped out" said Tragen "I've no time for people who think they're above the law, and nor has Lord Bargen. Leave it in my hands."

"Thank you sorr!" Porrg was surprised and impressed!

Whether Tragen could get anything done or not mattered less than that he was prepared to try.

Porrg and Finver were ready to walk through fire for their new Holder!

oOoOo

Vorinia had taken no lasting damage from Tarso's attack; she must lie up to rest for a few days then was permitted back to her normal routine.

Soon she was riding out with Jado, for both Kaili and Tragen were romantics at heart. Vorinia was pleased though that they could make their rides useful; for they rode about the cots beHolden to Tragen to check whether the exigencies of winter had caused any damage and making a note of any such to report back.

It was pleasant to ride together, often in companionable silence; though there was rain and the thaws made some passes impassable for a while, the warm sunshine between the rain was good after the long cold.

Jado too was making a detailed note of all the places where the rushing water of the thaw had damaged pathways; Tragen was scrupulous about keeping his roads in good repair, with broken rock well trampled down and flattened with a heavy, steel-clad skybroom wood roller dragged over it by a team of six puncherons all with heavy wherhide over-shoes to protect their delicate under hooves from the loose stones until the surface was completed. Tragen hired his road rolling team out around too; it eas a steady source of revenue from the Holds who kept roads up as being important to trade. Lords Bargen and Deckter now paid Tragen to cover the stretch of road that ran over the south side of the High Moor; last turn it had required but little, this turn there were three or four places where the breaks were bad, as reported by L'kar, pleased and proud to have so important a duty.

Jado was part of the mending team; he helped his brother Kren with the big, powerful, gentle puncherons: and they were gone several days to get it repaired before the Nabol Spring Gather.

Tragen and Kaili took the other fosterlings to Nabol; Vorinia felt it was a trifle far for her as yet. Master Taivin concurred! The girl did however volunteer to care for Kaitra, if a drudge would help with such things as picking the child up and feeding her; and Kaili was happy to accept the offer.

Kaitra was happy enough to be passed from hand to hand, but if her parents were to be away for a sevenday or more it was less likely that she would get upset if she were with her darling 'Ninni' as she now managed to render Vorinia's name.

Vorinia was actually quite looking forward to having Kaitra all to herself for a few days.

She must face the possibility that with all the muscles pulled in her back and hips that she may never carry a child of her own to term; and in case of that possibility she and Jado had decided that they would adopt, as Jado and Kren had been adopted. Vorinia would never have described herself as maternal, but Kaitra's sweet baby scent and soft loving arms tugged at her in a way that opened up what maternal part of her there was.

oOoOo

Since Jado had helped so much with the road mending, Tragen told the youth that he might go to the Gather as his fosterling or remain with Vorinia.

Jado snorted.

"No contest, boss" he said "Anyone can go to a Gather; there's only one Rinni."

A mobile child of just one turn old made a very effective chaperone; but did not prevent the stealing of kisses!

"I'd like to be doing this with our own child" said Jado, as they held Kaitra's hands to take her still unsteady steps across flower-strewn meadows.

"I – I believe I would too" Vorinia blushed "Jado, I've flirted plenty but I never…" she left the sentence hanging.

"Nor me" said Jado cheerfully "Only I never did the flirting, because I blush too easily. I expect we'll be fine making it up as we go alone; young stallions manage to cover mares without technical assistance from a Harper's scroll of instructions."

Vorinia laughed.

How different Jado was now she was getting to know him to the tongue-tied, even half simple boy he appeared at first! His shyness hid a ready wit and a distinctly off the wall way of looking at things.

"Dealing with beasts certainly helps explain the details of things" she said "I had no IDEA how it worked before I came here! Just promise me you won't chase me across a field waving it!"

"So long as you promise not to get me all in the right mood and then wander off to eat grass!"

They both chuckled at the memory of a young three turn old stallion attempting to cover a mare who seemed bored by the whole proceedings and took what seemed to be a wicked delight in frustrating her mate.

"People usually do it face to face anyway" said Jado "I know, for I've found people in the hayloft before. It's no more dignified than for runners though" he added, sounding uncertain as he looked at her.

"I should think if we love each other, dignity doesn't matter" said Vorinia "Are you still fussing about my Rank?"

"Yes" said Jado shortly, running a hand through his short flaxen locks.

"Well if we're to be Weyrfolk it won't count; and if neither of us Impress you'll Rank too for being my husband and helping me Hold" said Vorinia "And we get Lambo's Field licked into an egalitarian camaraderie like Northfork."

"You make it sound very easy" said Jado hopefully.

"It is. All we have to do is trust in each other, love each other and stay friends too. Everything else falls into place around that."

Jado grinned.

"Yes; trust and friends especially. If – if you Impress and I don't, I'll still love you and be there for you whoever flies your dragon, or if you got a Queen and I got a lower colour; because that's not cheating, it's just the way it is."

Vorinia nodded.

"And if you Impress and I don't, you'll be involved in your dragon rising for a female; same thing" she said. "And I can find work drudging at the Weyr to stay with you, even as you'd be valuable with the animals if it were the other way round."

"Part of me's tempted not to risk it" said Jado abruptly.

"I know. But if we're chosen, we have to be there to be chosen. It's one of those duty things; and the chance of something wonderful. If I do Impress a Green dragon and you have a Blue or a Brown – or even a Bronze, like M'gol and his J'nara…."

He nodded.

"Worth the risk; because we can be sensible. It's nice to be able to talk about things even faintly forbidden subjects" he said sincerely.

"Only forbidden because most people can't handle their own feelings over such subjects and prefer not to explore their own darker corners like jealousy" replied Vorinia "Why haylofts?"

"Dunno. Relative privacy perhaps? I'd have thought the hay was ticklesome myself" shrugged Jado.

"Me too" agreed Vorinia "If you ask me, with all the other fosterlings away, we face the choice of your room or mine."

"Oh yours. I'll feel a far more daring conspirator invading the girls' dormitory" chuckled Jado, blushing hotly. "I – I need to be careful of your back."

"I've a hard mattress for it, stuffed with runnerbeast hair not wherry down and fowl feathers like everyone else" she explained.

"A second reason to come to you" Jado flushed again "For your safety…. This discussion is NOT comfortable."

Vorinia had herself coloured, and grinned at him.

At that moment Kaitra demanded information about why were clouds; and the moment passed while Vorinia tried to explain that clouds were full of rain waiting to happen in the proper place.

Then there was the important business of weaving a crown of flowers for a small person, of far greater moment than silly grown up talk!

oOoOo

Vorinia was looking upon bedtime with both nervousness and excitement; and Jado too admitted to being half scared as well as eager.

When he came to her, he kissed her, and said,

"Let's take this slowly, love; find out what we like with touching before we do the whole loss of dignity thing. I – I want to find out about you."

"And I about you" said Vorinia.

Their first innocent explorings may not have been extensive; but they were satisfying and loving and they fell asleep against each other, Vorinia with her back briaced against her strong young lover.

oOoOo

Vorinia knew there were herbs to prevent pregnancy, but had no idea what they were.

She asked Jado.

He blinked.

"I dunno" he said "I thought we were going to try for children if you could do so?"

"Do you think it's fair on a baby if we both have dragons to care for when she or he is no older than Kaitra is – as we might?" asked Vorinia gently. "If we wait for a child to be older, you'll be over age; it'll be easier to sort out when we have grown dragons or if we've not Impressed and decide to come away. Because if we haven't Impressed by the time you're over age we'll both come away regardless. I know you'd love me if I stayed to try again; but it would seem to me to be an indication that riding dragons was not meant to be for us. Once we KNOW what is happening in our lives, then it's time to try for a baby. Besides, I want you to myself for a while first."

Jado grinned.

"I can't say I disapprove of that, woman" he said, twinkling at her.

She poked him in the ribs.

"You do agree though?" she asked after the inevitable aftermath of a poking contest.

"Yes; yes I do agree, on thinking about it properly. Sorry love; I didn't think through before" he said.

"If an infant needs us, that's different – an exposed child in the childhold say"said Vorinia "But I won't have had the strain of pregnancy with such as an additional thing to cope with."

Jado nodded.

"Well, I know how to make a mare more likely to conceive with the right herbs" he said "But as a breeding stables, we never did the other way about!"

"Idiot" said Vorinia , lovingly.

oOoOo

On due consideration, Vorinia asked Tranora as the most down to earth person she knew besides Tragen and Kaili.

"Getting ahead of yourselves are you two?" said the headwoman tolerantly. "Well if you can't be good, at least you've the sense to be careful. I'll brew you some and write you out the recipe. Do you need any in a hurry?"

Vorinia flushed.

"Not yet, Tranora, but I like to be well prepared; does it have to be taken beforehand?" she asked.

"No; it acts as an abortifacient too. The egg never implants if you take it as a prophylactic" the Headwoman told her. "Be careful of your back; not too many bedroom acrobatics, mind. There's a couple of ways of doing things that'll put less strain on your back" and she proceeded to get graphic and earthy, leaving Vorinia both blushing furiously and decidedly aroused!

She also provided Vorinia with a bottle of vile-tasting stuff and instructions for taking it, labelling it 'Vorinia's medicine'.

"Just say it's for your health, dear" she said "The other girls will assume it's some tonic for your back. And it is for your health – if you got pregnant now, the baby wouldn't be likely to survive anyhow and nor might you."

That was a shock.

Vorinia was quick to pass on all Tranora had said to her to Jado – both that shockingly good reason to continue to wait before trying for a family and the more personally interesting parts.

Jado and she were both blushing and grinning inanely as she explained.

"It'll take a lot of practice you know" said Jado gravely "We may have to practise over and over and over to get it right."

"And then we'll have to keep in practice" said Vorinia equally gravely.

They looked into each other's gaze and burst out laughing!

Being together was such fun.


	22. Chapter 22

**Chapter 22**

Jado and Vorinia had to find another venue for their romantic encounters once the Gather team returned; and Jado hit upon the idea of the tack room, which was largely his preserve.

He heaved a mattress in their and stood it out of sight to the casual gaze behind saddle racks when it was not in use; and they locked themselves in.

Vorinia opined that this was a much better idea than a hayloft.

oOoOo

Northfork's own spring Gather had come round again; and Vorinia was active enough to help with the preparations, carrying bedding even if she could not bend to make all the beds up, nor do more than supervise the laundering. She did take time to show a new young drudge the proper way to wring linen; and earned herself that girl's wondering hero worship that a Real Lady knew such things.

Vorinia actually found not being allowed to do more work more irksome this time; and grumbled disconsolately about it to both Jado and Tranora. Jado sympathised; and Tranora told her that there was nothing so fractious as a convalescent which, as Vorinia said gloomily to Jado, reduced her to the status of a babe like Kaitra getting over cutting a tooth.

One of the traders who came to buy a pitch this turn called himself a showman of a freak show.

Tragen sent Vorinia to inspect it to see if it was the kind of thing he would permit at his Gather, concerning which the Runnerholder was extremely dubious.

"These things pop up from time to time" Tragen said "Because strange things pop up from time to time; and it gives people a kind of thrill to see what can happen."

"What do you mean?" Vorinia asked, puzzled.

Tragen shrugged.

"I've had a foal born with two heads; and I've seen lambs born where twins are joined to each other. Things like that. If it's dead human babies in jars with such deformities I'll have none of it in my hold for that's disrespectful."

Vorinia nodded.

"They all die then?" she asked

"Usually. Not always. The joined lambs flourished well enough; the cotholder who owned them made a tidy sum exhibiting them as well as being able to shear them. They never went in the pot, and lived to a ripe old age, about seventeen turns if I recall, spoilt as family pets. Wool was good enough and he gelt both of them to be wethers so they didn't stink the place out – or pass on their strangeness."

"Well you learn something every day!" declared Vorinia. "I suppose if there are live animals like that I'm to do as I see fit it they're not well cared for?"

"Too fardling right!" the Holder agreed. "You take your riding crop with you my girl, and if he's ill treating animals you have my permission to let the old Vorinia out!"

Vorinia grinned.

"Oh she's dead; but her memory's fresh enough" she said "It'll be with more righteous vigour though."

"Good girl!" said Tragen.

oOoOo

The showman smiled an oily smile at Vorinia.

"I'm afraid I'm not open yet, lady" he said "I'll be open from first thing in the morning; just a sixteenth to view wonders that will shock and amaze you!"

"Never mind the patter, I'm not here to gawp like a wherry-headed cot-holder; I'm here to inspect you before Tragen permits you to set up" said Vorinia, crisply.

He gaped.

"Oh but surely…."

"Open up your carts to let me see" said Vorinia sharply "or move on now."

He gave her a sour look.

"Very well. I'm afraid it's a little gloomy inside so late in the evening" he said.

"I brought glows" said Vorinia, unperturbed.

He gave her a look of pure dislike.

"Of course it will be displayed more artistically" he said "When I put up the stand."

"Fine" said Vorinia "I'm not interested in aesthetics; I'll see the big cart first."

The carts were covered, the smaller of the two on an articulated towing bar behind the larger one. The showman unhooked the door of the first and Vorinia went up the steps.

There were crude living quarters within the front half of this cart, none too clean; the back half of it taken up with jars containing deformed animals, usually very young. The runnerbeast with eight legs looked so wrong; and too the porcine foetuses joined along the spine. Vorinia raised an eyebrow at the ovine-caprine as it was labelled, the left half one, the right half the other and a head of each.

"The stitching shows" she said "No frauds; that one will not go in display here."

The showman gave her a look that might have made a less determined girl quail at its very venom. Vorinia ignored it.

Another jar contained a tiny white firelizard.

"Now that I'm confiscating" said Vorinia "You will NOT mock dragonkind; nor upset the dragonrider I know who has Impressed a white firelizard."

"He has a living one? Where did he get it?" the showman was interested.

"If I knew I shouldn't tell you" said Vorinia. She signed to a drudge she had left outside. "Take this jar and bury the poor creature decently"

"Do you want to beggar me? Do you have any idea how RARE that is?" the showman whined.

"Do you want me to hand you over to the Weyr?" Vorinia mimicked his questions "Plenty of Weyrfolk come to Northfork you know; it's a favourite venue. Our Holder's wife is a Bronze Rider's sister."

The showman went a sickly grey.

"Look, let's just leave it, and I'll just move on…." he said

"No. I have my orders to inspect; and inspect I shall. And the firelizard goes" said Vorinia uncompromisingly, nodding confirmation to the drudge who picked up the jar. "And now the other cart."

"Oh…er…..yes" said the man. "A fascinating phenomenon is in the other cart, a part-beast, part human; the offspring of a grizzly and an unfortunate human girl who could not keep such a monster of course."

Vorinia flung open the door.

The hairy child cowered in the corner of the cage.

"Shards!" exclaimed Vorinia.

"Beware, lady; it does nothing but growl; it is terribly dangerous!" said the man.

Vorinia ignored him.

"What is your name, child?" she asked, gently but in a tone that meant to be obeyed.

The child scrambled up, responding instinctively to her manner, mode of dress and knots, trying to curtsey.

"Dorine, my lady" she whispered "Oh please don't let him whip me for talking!"

"I will not" promised Vorinia. "Enslavement is it? well, Charter-breaker, you're under arrest!"

"No!" he cried "You don't understand – her parents didn't want her; she was going to be exposed! I take good care of her – she has a good life with me, all she has to do is to pretend not to be able to speak…"

"A good life? Locked in a cage to small to move about in, cowering naked in terror of whippings? I despise scum like you!"

Vorinia drew on every ounce of her strength and anger to use her riding crop as her old self might have done on a drudge who displeased her; and the showman screamed.

Vorinia threw down her whip.

"I'll not give you all you deserve you wretch; it's frightening little Dorine!" she said "Where's the key?"

"You can't do this, you can't take away my livelihood!" he whispered.

"Did she plead like that about having her freedom and humanity taken? Animal! Worse than animal! Give me the key now or I'll break this cage open with your worthless head!"

Sullenly he took a chain from his neck; and Vorinia unlocked the cage, holding out her arms to the pathetic little scrap inside.

"Come to me, little one; you'll be free now, and have a proper life."

Fearfully the child edged towards her; and when Vorinia gathered her to her, ignoring the child's weight against her back, the babe burst into tears. Vorinia thought her no more than six turns old; and severely malnourished.

Hearing Vorinia's voice raised, several others had come over, among them Jado and his brother Kren.

"We have a daughter" said Vorinia to Jado. "Take THAT and lock it in the store room; this act of flagrant enslavement will have to go before the Harpers and Lord Bargen."

"Indeed!" said Jado, with a startled look at the hairy child in his lover's arms. "Kren, take the creep; Rinni, you shouldn't risk your back holding her" he added, reaching to take the child, who screamed in terror and clung to Vorinia.

Vorinia sat down on the steps of the cart, which eased the weight pulling on her.

"Dorine, I hurt my back very badly. Jado is my man; he'll be your foster father. He will never hurt you. Now let him carry you; he only wants to save me pain."

"He won't beat me?" the eyes were fearful.

"Certainly not! He's more likely to bea the creep who hurt you!" said Vorinia firmly. "I am called Vorinia; and we are going to take care of you."

The hairy, mournful little face sought Vorinia's in a long gaze; then Dorine permitted Jado to take her into his arms.

"Bath, nightgown, supper and bed I think" said Vorinia, getting up "Then we must find you some nice clothes."

"HE said I'm an animal and don't need clothes" said Dorine.

"Huh, HE was talking fork-juice" said Jado.

"Quite" said Vorinia. "You're a perfectly normal little girl who just has lots of extra hair. We'll decide between us later how best to keep it neat and if you prefer to have it shaved off your face; you shall choose."

"I may? I may really choose?" Dorine was amazed.

"Certainly. It's your face after all" said Vorinia "You shall think about it and balance the trouble you need to go to, to shave daily with the possible discomfort of being hairy in the summer. Now up to the bathing room with you" and she took the child by the hand as they reached the dormitory and whisked her into the bathing room, having purloined a nightgown of Taladora's on the way. "This nightgown is going to be too big for you but it's better than nothing. There's a spare bed opposite mine and I'll pop you into it and bring you supper in bed."

The child was filthy; which was hardly surpising. And she all but fell asleep when dry and wrapped in a clean nightgown. She struggled to stay awake long enough to eat – she was ravenous – then fell asleep out of sheer exhaustion and strain the moment she lay down.

"Poor kiddie" muttered Vorinia "Well, Tragen's people won't tease her; and nor will they in the Weyr. What a thing to have to live with!"

oOoOo

Jado's arms awaited Vorinia downstairs; and she went to them gladly.

"I rather took that decision onto myself" she said shakily "I'm sorry, love. Are you angry?"

"Only at parents who would sell her to creeps like that and at creeps like that" said Jado "Poor mite! Of course we'll rear her – you did the right thing, I back you all the way. She's our fosterling; end of."

"You're such a good man" said Vorinia.

"I've got such a good woman" said Jado softly.

oOoOo

Vorinia took child's clothing out of the Hold disaster box – some of which she had made – and put them in the press by the bed. She then cut out and sewed a simple nightgown the right size.

"There are no nightgowns in the disaster box" she said to Kaili "we'll have to remedy that."

"Is – is she sleeping in our dormitory?" asked Taladora nervously.

"Yes; she needs the reassurance of being with someone she's starting to trust, and that's me" said Vorinia "I know she's just a babe, but she'll be asleep before you lot go to bed and will likely sleep through your giggling too."

"Is – is she savage?" Taladora wanted to know.

Vorinia's eyes flashed.

"You kids get this straight" she said "The child is a normal little girl who happens for some reason to have fur; like some people are born with a twisted foot or – or birthmarks! It's like having a hairy birthmark all over, and underneath that she's a scared kiddie who's been ill treated, and treated like an animal. She knows how to curtsey and recognise Rank knots – is that savage?"

"Poor little thing!" said Taladora, who was very soft hearted "It was just – scary."

"I s'pose it's scarier for her" said Rillowna.

"Yes it is; and you're both good kiddies" said Vorinia.

"How did it come about?" demanded Nasela.

"No idea" shrugged Vorinia "Why is Ruth white and undersized? I don't know that either. Birth defects and strangeness happen. Decent folk are decent to people who have them; only ignorant clods laugh at them and treat them badly."

This was aimed at Lyster, who had seemed inclined to sneer. He flushed and shrugged to himself.

The girls were curious, but sympathetic.

They were not actually a bad lot, all things considered, thought Vorinia, now Brina had settled down; even if Nasela's practical jokes could be trying. That was to consider; and Vorinia turned to Nasela.

"Nasela, don't try to cheer Dorine up by playing tricks on her; she has probably never come across it and it will scare her" she said.

Nasela, who had had such an intent, nodded solemnly. The full implications of how scary it might be to a small child had not occurred to her, but on thinking about how everything that had happened to Dorine had been bad until Vorinia rescued her made Nasela realise that a joke could seem as though bad things were happening again.

It was a start.

oOoOo

Talking to Dorine in the morning as she breakfasted elicited the information that she had started growing hair 'about the same time of turn as this, last turn' and her parents had been horrified. When the showman had come and expressed an interest they had sold their hairy little daughter to him quite readily.

"You won't sell me, will you?" begged Dorine.

"Proper parents don't" said Vorinia "And Jado and I will be proper parents for you. In a few months' time we'll all be going to the Weyr too; and the dragonfolk are nice and don't make rude comments. Most people here won't either, not when they know you're just an ordinary little girl."

"Will you shave my face? Then they can see I'm just a little girl" said Dorine.

"Of course sweeting" said Vorinia "But if I Impress, I'll get very busy; so we'll either have to find someone else to do it, or go without for a while."

"If you Impress, will you still want me?" the child asked fearfully.

"Oh yes!" Vorinia made it matter of fact. "Lots of weyrwomen have fosterlings, you know! And you can help me if you like – and hopefully Jado – with our dragons, if we do Impress!"

"Will they let me near dragons?" Dorine was worried.

"Dragons and Riders have a better idea of people on the inside rather than going by appearance" said Vorinia "Of course they will."

Dorine seemed perfectly satisfied.

She did not want to do much but curl up and sleep; and having seen her awful living conditions, Vorinia was not surprised!

Several Harper-Riders witnessed the cage; and Harper Blue Rider T'rin chatted skilfully to Dorine, showing her Prism his white firelizard, and making her laugh by pulling funny faces and using funny voices to describe the opinion of various Lords of his acquaintance towards creeps.

He had a full testimony from her quite easily!

The Riders agreed to take the man before Lord Bargen with Vorinia as a witness; for they took the matter very seriously.

Geriana too sketched Dorine before Vorinia shaved her, so the child need not appear, and Tragin, Vorinia, Jado and D're all signed it as a true image.

There was to be no mistake in convicting this one.


	23. Chapter 23

**Chapter 23**

Lord Bargen was horrified that any man should treat a helpless child so; and sentenced the showman to spend a month exhibited similarly in a cage before working to pay off a considerable sum of compensation to Dorine, who would, in Bargen's opinion, need it to overcome the terrible affliction that would cost her the chance of a normal life and marriage. He also intended to discipline Dorine's parents if they fell within his jurisdiction; and on finding that they did not, sent a full report of the matter and the parents' location that he had extracted from the showman to Lord Nessel of Crom, under whose jurisdiction they did fall.

"Nessel is a dutiful man" he said t D're.

D're nodded; there was little else to say.

Even H'llon would have picked up that Bargen did not much like Nessel of Crom, even if he did give him respect for his adherence to duty.

oOoOo

Dorine's hair was fine and soft, mid brown in colour, and Vorinia found that by shaving it once every three days was enough that her face might be kept clear enough to avoid notice, for it was not hard and bristly like the beard hair of the few men that could grow beards. The rest of the child's body could be covered with clothes; she could wear long, lightweight sleeves even in summer, though Vorinia did shave her arms, purely for comfort as the days got increasingly hotter! The thin air in the High Reaches led to intense heat in the summer as well as intense cold in the winter, and the ovines too were glad to be shorn.

Tragen saw that his people heard Dorine's story; that way the Hold children were less likely to tease her out of thoughtlessness. The little girl had sympathy from an unexpected source, a little girl a couple of turns older, whose family had suffered tragedy a couple of turns before in the unexpected spring blizzard, when their father froze to death within a few lengths of their cot. She came up to Dorine and put her arms round her.

"I thought it was bad when my pa died, but he never gave me up!" she said "I reckon your ma and pa ought to be ashamed of themselves!"

"They didn't love me any more" said Dorine, in some bewilderment "Vorinia loves me and Jado loves me. They don't care that I'm hairy."

"I bet it's nice in winter" said Corra, the other girl. "Don't worry; in a couple of turns it won't be so bad. I don't cry much for my pa now; and the three younger ones don't even remember him. Come and meet Rina; she's your age."

The little family were pensioners of Tragen, who had initially found the widow Morra a job in his own kitchens; the children learned under Horovarn the Hold Harper, who was astounded by the musical talent in all the children old enough to learn with him and was heard to mutter that, disguised as it might be, it was a blessing that they should all go to the Harper Hall and not waster their days breaking sod as cotholders. Coramor, the eldest of the orphans, was to go to the Harper Hall at Turnover, when he would be almost twelve; and his three next sisters certainly to follow him, and probably the babies too, Corra proudly told Dorine.

"Is that what you want?" asked Dorine "To be an apprentice?"

"Well I don't want to be a cotholder's wife" said Corra "And I guess if I could be around music all day I'd be happy! Though I kind of am happy already, but Master Horovarn says that it's even more so at the Harper Hall."

In light of such talents revealed, Tragen had made Morra drudge to Master Horovarn though she was herself in no wise musically inclined, so that her children would be raised almost craftbred in some respects, alongside Horovarn's own grandchildren. Morra was honoured, if rather perplexed, that her children should be made much of just for singing all day and making up tunes; though she was proud that they seemed to do something the Master Harper thought clever, even if she could not understand it!

With Corra's friendship, and that of her little sister Rina, closer to Dorine in age, came therefore friendship with Hoelle and Parova, granddaughters of Master Horovarn and cousins to each other. It made a great change to Dorine from having stones thrown at her by other cotholders' children before she was sold, or being pointed at and cruel comments made. And the Harper's grandchildren were by way of being leaders in the community of children; and Dorine, for the first time since the hair had started growing, felt safe and happy!

She said to Vorinia,

"MUST we go to the Weyr? I have friends here now!"

"Well, you know, if the Harper Hall is still chary of taking little girls, they might well be going to the Harperweyr first in any case" said Vorinia. "I'll ask D're to bring some weyr children to visit and meet you all; and see if you like them too. If you dislike them, then Jado and I will have to think again; but he hasn't long to be in age. We might foster you for a turn or two with Journeyman Harper Horosh or his sister, but we'd rather you were with us."

"So would I" said Dorine "I wouldn't want to stop Jado having a dragon only new people are scary."

"New people are only friends you haven't met yet" said Vorinia firmly, trusting in the open minds of the weyrfolk that would be instilled in their children.

oOoOo

D're and friends duly brought a selection of children from the Weyr on a visit; and as well as normal cheerful children such as Mikrelle, Sibran, Clor, Dortol, Eliora and Nalissan were Amika, who was simple, hunchbacked Prin, albino Silisse and deaf Irrana.

That the children without special needs hardly even notices the differences in their more needy companions was eye-opening for more than just Dorine. The harperchildren learned a lesson that the Weyr was as open minded as Harpers; and an eleven turn old boy learned that making fun of Amika for being a dummy led to a bloody nose from a seven-turn-old fury that was her sister Mikrelle.

Dorine was impressed.

"There's other children your age t'be sure" said D're "But we picked the first ten that volunteered. And if ye've a mind t'be volunteerin' much at the Weyr, ye'd do well t'learn the drum measures; for isn't it just easier t'drum f'them than to shout at these young limbs!"

D're got giggled at which had been the idea.

He had nieces and nephews spanning the age group and had no problems with small children, though he borrowed M'kel and Y'lara to help mind them as M'kel's daughters Mikrelle and Amika minded Y'lara as well as they did their own foster mother; and Mikrelle was the definite leader of this little group and of the other half dozen children who had not, for various reasons, been brought. In the case of two of them this was nervousness of dragons not yet overcome; and one was too disabled. The rest were on punishment for mixing salt with the sugar of a Blue Rider who had passed an untoward comment about the childhold that the four normally quiet children had disapproved of.

It had been made clear to the said Rider that he deserved all he got; but loss of a trip was deemed appropriate to point out that one should NOT salt a blooded Rider's klah.

The upshot was, however, that friendships were made; and the Riders were asked nicely to bring the weyrlings again, and older and younger ones as well!

"Ah, next time you lot shall visit the Weyr" said D're "If y'relatives have no objection."

It was so arranged.

oOoOo

The visit to the Weyr introduced Coramor, his next sister Orria and Master Horovarn's eldest grandchildren Horojur and Sherray to Harperweyr children their own sort of oage; not just Garald, Garvan and talented Lyseder but also Tuada, given up to the Weyr by her parents for the strawberry birthmark on her face. Tuada was fostered by birthmarked Green Rider Sh'ranis; and had been egregiously befriended by K'lana, a turn her junior. It was ability that counted for more than anything else in the Harperweyr; and Dorine found herself taken off by Mikrelle and the others while the Harper children were thoroughly seduced by singing firelizards and singing dragons!

The tales his unofficial apprentices brought back prompted Master Horovarn to ask to visit the Weyr with his son; and suddenly close ties were being formed between the two Harper communities, and the possibilities of sharing some speciality teaching was discussed. For their kindnesses to a friendless little girl, Horovarn now had the facilities of H'gey's extensive instrument crafting workshop on loan for his skilled would-be apprentices. It was not so extensive as Master Jerint's workshop; but H'gey had acquired the services of woodcrafters and smiths to make it good enough to make virtually any instrument, now with his own metalcrafting tools. And T'rin was a tunecrafter of skill beyond the ageing master; which Horovarn freely admitted, though he could teach the theory well enough and tell a good tune when he heard it, however rough it might be!

"It's going to be handy to have somewhere to apprentice kids who came on pretext of search for the music but can't adapt to dragons all over the place" said L'gal "Once we apprentice them, transferring apprenticeship is easy enough, and no-one can then take it from them."

Horovarn's son was approaching his own Mastery, and planned to go soon to the Harper Hall for a turn to that end, probably with his own children and the oldest of Morra's children as his fosterlings; and once confirmed, as L'gal was acting Master it provided three Masters to confirm a journeyman.

"Though if possible, a few months at the Harper Hall is valuable I think" said T'rin "It's just not always practical for people with dragons, though if the Masterharper would let us convert a cot to a weyr, there'd be no problem for a short while."

"Are you sending any of yours up then?" asked Horovarn.

"Not for a while: T'arla and M'ia are senior apprentices but another turn will see them better Journeymen" said L'gal "It takes longer when you have additional duties such as Riders have. If Garald and Garvan don't Impress next time they might go, and Lyseder too, and Jaysen, to have the experience of it. Actually Jaysen might go anyway: we'll see. He likes dragons but has no real interest as it stands in Impressing; and he'll be ready to be senior soon. And I'll not be sending Tuada at all; she's a diffident kiddie and would be too much bullied."

Horovarn nodded.

"A sad indictment of what became of us under the Fax years that such is true in any large establishment even the Harper Hall which is supposed to be open minded" he said. "Well then, we might work more closely and who we choose to confirm between us if Horosh gains his Mastery. In a way he'd do better working under you at the Weyr; you've more formal apprentices. He's wasted in a small Hold in that we teach without the real need for one master let alone two; but I was born there and I served Tragen's father."

L'gal nodded, and grinned at Horosh.

"You'll outrank me when you confirm but I guess we can work together" he said.

"You should ask if they're going to confirm you full Master first" said Horosh. "I'd defer to you anyway; you know your people and you're a Bronze Rider which Ranks a Master any day in any case."

"I'll write to the Masterharper with MY recommendation" said Horovarn "The word of a Master is likely to be taken note of and the Bronze Rider strikes me as both too modest and too proud to ask on his own account."

This conversation led to a letter arriving to L'gal from Sebell, apologising for forgetting his temporary status and asking if he preferred to receive his knots with ceremony or just come and collect them.

L'gal took his journeymen and collected them, and agreed to accept a presentation for the sake of the boys who knew him still in the Harper Hall.

That Dorine's friends now knew people in the Weyr and might be going to work with them at the Harper Hall or the Harperweyr made a real difference in the little girl's attitude to going to the Weyr. Now they were just all friends together! She had no more qualms.

oOoOo

One cloudless day in the early summer a mating flight went over.

"Sure, that's Daenilth so it is" said Kaili, cocking an experienced eye at the Golden Queen. "And Shath close on her tail, I'm thinkin'. Three long months and three hot weeks for ye, Vorinia me ghirl."

Vorinia paled with excitement and trepidation.

"Well no point going before the three months is gone" she said, controlling the shaking of her voice. "And time to be fitter too."

Kaili nodded.

"They say ye may never throw bags of firestone like other weyrlings do to blood them; but fer injury they make exception if ye've the ability to make a Rider. 'Tis no more than they'd do for an Impressed Rider that took injury afther all."

Vorinia nodded.

"But I so hope that I won't look useless! Oh Kailii, some of them may remember me being useless and think I've not changed!"

"Sure and d'ye think they don't know your story? Do ye not hold the Silver Star, and doesn't the winning of that spread quick enough!"

Vorinia flushed.

"I – I just don't want people to think that I'm not ready to pull my weight. And other candidates…."

"If other candidates are so rude as t'query the decision of the Weyrlingmaster they'll be told the truth – that ye sustained injury saving a life. And that qualifies ye better as a dragonrider than many things do. Ye'll be fine, dharlin' ghirl. And sure, will ye not be knowin' av several Green Rider friends t'show ye about, like Y'lara and me own dharlin' sisther M'ielle!"

Vorinia nodded.

Knowing other Riders would be a distinct advantage!

oOoOo

The coming of the hot weather was a blow for Vorinia however; the heat left her very enervated, and her back ached so she had to return to lying flat all afternoon; and tears came too readily to her blue eyes, though she tried to hide it from both Jado and Dorine.

Jado at least noticed; he would notice anything out of order with his beloved Vorinia.

"It's just the weather, love" he said "If you rest now, you'll be stronger later."

"What if I'm not?" Vorinia burst into tears "What if every cold snap or heat wave leaves me useless? How can I go to the Weyr knowing that?"

"If it's a permanent thing then you won't Impress" said Jado "Dragons know. M'gol told me they won't Impress to people who are diseased or unable to fulfil their duties; so when they pick someone with disabilities they know that those disabilities can be sufficiently overcome."

"You think it will be all right to go? I – I do so want to be with dragons" said Vorinia anxiously.

"It'll be fine" said Jado firmly "The heat has got to you; and small wonder. We're all edgy and I'd not be surprised if there was a most massive thunderstorm. Even the beasts are resty."

"In the cool caverns?" Vorinia was surprised.

"Even in the cool caverns. It's so close. And the sky in the west is like copper if you climb high to look at it" said Jado, who had climbed to the highest point overlooking the valley to see what weather signs he might see.

"I want to start doing heavier work when this is over" said Vorinia "I think I need to start exercising to make my muscles strong enough to hold themselves in place."

"Do you really think though…."

"Yes I do! I don't want to be gentle, capable of nothing but sewing! I've TASTED strong and capable and fit and I WILL be fit again!" declared Vorinia.

"Then you must start small and work up" said Jado "Nobody strengthens a colt by putting all the tack and a rider on his back from the word go. So you'll not start with chores that pull all parts; you'll start with lifting small weights to begin with and do one sort of movement at a time."

Vorinia nodded; it made sense, the comparison with training young runnerbeasts was a good one.

"Will you help me?" she asked.

"With all my heart, love" promised Jado.

Vorinia felt better for having had such an outburst; and drifted off to sleep.

It was a sticky, rather fitful, sleep but it refreshed her well enough to take a reasonable supper, though she was glad enough to see her bed at night.


	24. Chapter 24

**Chapter 24**

The storm broke in the night with a simultaneous garish flash and a detonation of thunder!

The three smaller girls and Dorine shrieked in terror; and Dorine flung herself on Vorinia, trembling and sobbing with fright, and with having been wakened suddenly out of sleep.

Vorinia herself rather liked storms; she liked to lie in the dark and watch them, but she uncovered the glows for the children and pulled the heavy curtain over the window to shut the storm out.

"Well, that's an end of…" she was interrupted by a crash "….end of any sleep we shall get tonight! Marssa, Brina, will you be good enough to get klah for everyone? We may as well be comfortable in our disturbance."

There was another conversation stopping rumble, the lightning even visible through the curtain, split seconds before the roll of thunder. Marssa nodded wordlessly and Brina followed the older girl into the sitting room where klah was heated at this time of year on a small charcoal stove not on the unlit fire. Most High Reaches Holds counted at least one family of charcoal burners amongst their outlying cotholders; the softwood timber did not make the best charcoal but it was a handy fuel easier to store than logs for the heat given out, bulk for bulk, and it was cheaper than blackrock and easier to start burning.

The next bout of noise was loud and prolonged; and Taladora and Rillowna looked at each other and promptly climbed into the bottom of Nasela's bed together.

"Thunder can't hurt you" said Vorinia "And being in bed all together wouldn't help – if Tragen didn't have what all Holds have, a lightning conductor on top of the Threadfall siren."

"It's less scary to be together" said Rillowna, firmly.

Dorine agreed; she was buried against Vorinia while her foster mother stroked her head and trembling shoulders.

oOoOo

The door opened and Kaili came in.

"Marssa, Brina, what d'ye think yer thinkin' av, lyin' in bed when there's stock t'calm? Yez little ones can stay, but grown ghirls should know better!"

"I'm sorry, it didn't occur to me" said Vorinia "I can't come, I have Dorine."

"I can come with you" said Dorine, rather muffled."

"You will?" Vorinia asked, surprised.

"It's easier to bear if you can see what's happening" said Dorine.

"I don't want you leavin' av these babes, they're scared" said Kaili with a quick glance at the younger girls. "See them all dressed and bring them down t' the dining hall."

And then she was off in a whirl of arms and legs almost like one of the colts!

Vorinia was glad to get up and dressed; the wild storm made her feel unsettled. Being up felt as though she was doing something practical. She saw the youngest fosterlings down and sat by the fire that Marilly was hastily kindling for comfort as much as to heat klah, then took Dorine to the door and into the outer vestibule, that helped keep the Hold both warm in winter and cool in summer, that the main living quarters was two doors from the outside.

"Shall we go onto the verandah and watch it?" she asked. "We must go back before long; but storms can be quite magnificent."

"There was a storm the first night HE took me" said Dorine "Ma used to talk to me when there was a storm before, but I was all alone in that cage!"

"Poor little scrap!" murmured Vorinia, even more furious with the showman for not having the common decency to check the child. "Look, see how bright that one is! That one's further….." then there was a huge crash "…further away. Every five heartbeats between flash and crash means a mile…. My old nurse told me that" Vorinia blinked back sudden tears, remembering Davinda's care in making sure her youthful charge never feared storms! "I won't let you down, Davinda" she muttered to herself.

Storms in the mountains rumbled up and down the valleys, retreating and approaching. Davinda had made the young Vorinia count how far away they were and guess where they might be over the top of, and excellent way of teaching the geography of the region of course! Vorinia now did this with Dorine, telling her where the storm might be as Dorine had less idea of the local demographics. She knelt by the little girl with an arm firmly round her; and though terrified at first, the child was more interested than scared learning where the storm might be in relation to the homes of people she knew!

She knew some places and liked to show that off.

"That one must be right over Rillowna's sister's place!" she said, counting nearly three miles "I bet it woke their baby!"

"Well, he's a big baby, as big as our Kaitra" said Vorinia "She's not making any fuss after having got over being cross for being wakened."

Kaitra was in the dining room in her high chair that raised her to the same level as the table, well confined with its own eating tray, eating bubbly pie and with a jointed doll to amuse her. When they had left to go outside the babe had been force-feeding bubbly pie to her dolly 'so see not be tared' as Kaitra put it.

Vorinia shivered suddenly.

"Rain's coming" she said "And time for us to go in; I don't think the storm is coming back this way. Klah and bubbly pies all round."

Dorine came back in readily and took her midnight snack over to Kaitra, whom she adored, Kaitra being too small to make any judgements about people who were hairy; and being entirely unafraid since her uncle D're had a beard, liked to stroke Dorine.

Eventually Kaili, Tragen and a selection of grooms, jockeys and stableboys with them came in, including Morill and Kirilly. Morill, owning his own stock, had a separate cot, built against the end of the verandah, and his own stables cut into the rock; but he often came over to eat with the rest because he still worked for Tragen as well as for himself. It was an amicable arrangement and not one, Vorinia acknowledged, that would work with just any Holder.

The snack that had been prepared was well received!

Jado grabbed his and came over to Vorinia and Dorine.

"That was a doozy" he said "We saw ball lightning fall higher up the slope."

"I've never seen it" said Vorinia "Glad it didn't fall here; it could have cracked the roof."

Jado nodded soberly, but made himself smile.

"And everything wet and soggy from the rain afterward!" he said.

Neither mentioned that Threadfall was due in a couple of days; that repairs would have to be quick or the hold abandoned for the caves if such had happened.

They could be thankful that such had NOT happened.

"L'kar'll be out first thing seeing if anyone had any major trouble and to check how many roads have been damaged in the rain" said Jado "I'll be riding out myself to see if anyone needs help."

"I'll come" said Vorinia "Dorine, you'll be a good girl and stay with the Harper in classes, won't you? As I've a firelizard to send for help I should be out there doing all I can."

Dorine nodded solemnly.

"You've been ill…..can you manage?" Jado was anxious.

"The cooling rains made me feel much better….Jado, mountain rescue is what I'm supposed to do. I'm cool in an emergency. I trained in first aid, remember?"

"Just don't overdo it: promise me?" he did not want to trammel her, nor did he want her to hurt herself again!

"I promise" Vorinia agreed.

oOoOo

Lady Neatfoot was glad to be getting out with the fresh morning. Vorinia could mount properly now, with only a twinge; and she was grateful to be up and doing something useful. It was a beautiful, newly-washed morning, the weesweets chirping sweetly and the temperature pleasantly warm. Vorinia wore a wide brimmed straw hat in any case, for the sun would be hotter soon; and wore a lightweight cotton tunic over her trews. Although the outlying cotholders like a female representative of Tragen's to wear a skirt for formal visits, this was a situation in which all but the most traditional accepted that practicalities came before appearances.

Each of them who were to ride out had been allotted an area by Tragen; and as there were plenty of volunteers they might ride in pairs, though Tragen did stipulate that there was to be one firelizard in each pair. As Jado and Vorinia both had firelizards this saw them split, but enjoyment of the fine morning was enough that mild disappointment over that could not spoil it for Vorinia. She found herself assigned as her partner the one time renegade Porrg, his partner working with Jado.

"Sure, and its in your hands entire so I am, Lady; for I do not know the land as ye do" said Porrg cheerfully.

"We've three cots to visit and a mile long stretch pf road to look at closely" said Vorinia "Including a small bridge; and I'll be asking you to do the wading into the stream if it's not too torrential, to check the stonework underneath it. It's a one arch span; the gulley is only a length wide."

He nodded.

"Your man said I was t'watch ye for tiredness f' your back, lady; I know the story and sure, I've every respect for ye" he said "If ye go white, I'm t' make ye go back. I thought I should make it clear 'tis not me own insolence byt yer man's orders."

"He knows me too well" Vorinia grinned. "Thanks Porrg. I take no offence."

Porrg relaxed visisbly.

He had some fears that the beautiful lady would associate him and Finver with their erstwhile companion's attack on her, and take anything he said amiss!

oOoOo

Porrg splashed around in the noisy little rill, still higher than usual but safe enough.

"Sure and 'tis scoured a bit, lady…. Not unsafe, but there's a stone loosened I'd have a mason look at to be safe" he called up.

Vorinia made a note on the fine slate she had brought for the purpose; no point wasting paper for brief notes. She called down again,

"Did you look up at the arch? Not everyone thinks to look UP"

"Aye, there's a mark where the water reached, but the arch itself as dry as a bone" Porrg replied. "Even if you lost the loose stone it'd be sorra a problem, save that the water'd scour it then every time it rose."

"That's why Tragen never loses bridges" said Vorinia as the Ruathan scrambled back up onto the road via the rough steps built into the bridge support. "He inspects them regularly and does even the most minor repair work needed straight away."

"Aye, he's a good man t'be working for" said Porrg. "Reckon Finvar and me fell on our feet….. and we get more freedom working for Tragen then we had as independent traders – how about that then!"

"He's a model more Holders should copy" said Vorinia. "Priarish in Nabol is another; his great niece fostered with us last turn. That's a man who's not afraid to try new ideas and learn from others."

"Pity there's s'many bad ones to balance the good" said Porrg dryly.

"Well the logicators will see about that – though it'll take time" said Vorinia, then had to explain the art of logicating! "I'm no practitioner myself" she confessed "But I've heard enough stories. You can't expect to do everything – unless you're Y'lara of High Reaches who defies all common rules of personal ability – and I'm specialised in mountain rescue. It takes similar abilities in needing observation and fast deductions from what you've seen and the ability to act upon that decisively; but it's applied differently. This road has been loosened" she added "Have to get the roller out. Lady Neatfoot's picked up a stone."

"I'll see to it, Lady" Porrg swung down off his own mount and handed the reins to Vorinia "Save you buckin' and bendin'."

The stone was quickly dealt with, to the mare's relief!

"I don't think she's bruised; she let me know in time. If she is I'll walk her back" said Vorinia "First cot to see is just down here, built against the river bank and dug back into it."

oOoOo

The cotholder's rosy cheeked and cheerful wife was busy wringing out cleaning rags.

"Morning Lady!" she said cheerfully "The stream came visiting last night, and without an invitation!"

"Much damage?" asked Vorinia.

"No, barely more than a quick wash; our sleeping quarters are behind and higher, but the beasts got their feet wet, my man took them to pasture to run dry and the kids are digging out the wet straw. It'll be fine to put on the fields."

Vorinia nodded. Digging out soiled straw from animal pens was a regular job anyway.

"Well if you need for nothing, we'll not interrupt you further" she said "We've two more cots to visit."

The cotwife waved a cheery farewell and got back to work.

"I'd hate to live so close to the river myself" said Vorinia to Porrg as they rode away "And I know that the roof is good stone under the sods on top, but the thought of Thread squirming through the roof gives me the horrors."

"I suppose the stone is visible within, t'be sure; so any crack could be seen" said Porrg "And then 'twould be like any other cot built against a cliff so it would."

"You're probably right" said Vorinia "She seems to be no fool anyhow; they'll check, I'm sure, flood or no flood, before Thread falls tomorrow."

oOoOo

The next cot was farmed by an elderly ovine herdsman who was out with his herds; and they had to seek him out.

"Good day!" called Vorinia "Your cot looks all right, did you suffer any storm damage?"

"Eh?" the old man cupped one ear "Speak up, Lady, I be deaf!"

Vorinia repeated herself louder.

"Arr, ut stormed in night did ut? Never heered a thing!" said the old man "Put me bad ear up I do when ut's sticky 'nough for a storm, that way I do-ant lose no sleep. Happen Bressi here's wake me if I needed ter do anything" he patted the black and white sharp featured canine beside him.

"Well a very good day to you then!" bawled Vorinia "Remember Threadfall, tomorrow afternoon!"

"Arr, I have ee chart" said the ancient worthy "But thank ee kindly for ee warning."

oOoOo

"They're an independent bunch up here, for all that they've closer arrangements with Tragen than a lot of cotholds do" said Vorinia.

"Like man, like his men" said Porrg. "Where's the last?"

"Just over the ridge; there's a whole small valley they farm, man, wife and a permanently growing population of offspring" said Vorinia. "I think there's a doazen or so brats to date, the older ones more or less useful and scarcely a word to read between them. Try not to take offence if they prove rude in their ignorance. There's always one family you know; and Tragen's wished this one onto me because he knows I can't be intimidated by them being rude."

"No lady; reckon you don't intimidate easy" said Porrg. "I know the sort."


	25. Chapter 25

**Chapter 25**

The huddled family and the burnt-out cot told its own story; lightning had struck. The cot itself was a shell, but the byre had gone entirely. The horrid smell of burnt meat hung in the air.

The woman was sobbing, and so were most of the children.

"Are you all safe and unhurt?" asked Vorinia crisply, dismounting.

"I be burned lady" ventured the oldest boy "And we do-ant know where Milara be."

"Was she in with the animals then?" Vorinia was horrified as she got out numbweed and salves for the boy's badly burned hands.

"Oh no lady! Her was up on mountain after caprine" said the boy "Her ain't come back."

"At least my sons are safe" said the cotholder "But all my stock! Gone! All of them! And who's going to pay to replace 'em?"

Vorinia gave him a look of dislike.

"I suppose you bolted the door of the byre when you thought a storm was coming" she said.

"Arr, it make 'em resty, fit to break out and go wanderin'" said the man.

"Yes, largely because animals have more sense than fool-headed cotholders who ALWAYS bolt byres, contrary to Tragen's orders, before storms and then wail when the stock is lost because they can't escape the fire; and a chance of losing such a good boy as tried to rescue them" said Vorinia tartly "You brought this on yourself and Tragen will NOT replace your stock as you flouted his standing order. Now stop sitting there like a bump on a log and get down to the Hold."

"I ain't goin'. This is my land" said the cotholder.

Vorinia stared.

"Are you deranged or something? You have nothing here; it'll take time for you to rebuild. Tragen will see you all fed in the Hold and safe from Fall."

"I ain't takin' his charity given under sufferance. We stay here" said the man. A different tune, thought Vorinia, from trying to get payment for the beasts out of Tragen. How truly stupid some of these people could be!

"You can please your stupid self" said Vorinia "But your wife and children go with me. Have you forgotten that it's Threadfall tomorrow?"

The man stared.

Apparently he had forgotten.

"Missus'll suit herself" he said sulkily "I be stopping here. You ain't got no right to take our childer though!"

"I – I have to stay with my man!" said the woman.

"Then I will exercise the right of anyone to prevent child harming and take the children to safety" said Vorinia grimly holding his gaze "And seek out this Milara too."

"Ain't worth wasting your time lady" said the man indifferently "Her be useless dreamer; reckon her've fallen and killed her useless self."

Vorinia was incensed. She came very close to the cotholder and thrust her face into his.

"You know, you piece of dung, the only thing that stops me from beating you senseless – because I could – is the fact that it would scare your children" she said in a low, furious tone "Faugh! You're so stupid you can't even understand why I should be angered by your lack of caring about your daughter! You disgust me!" she walked away, shaking with rage.

"What's t'be done, lady?" asked Porrg "Take the younger ones t'safety or look for the missing ghirlie?"

"You see the young ones back; the big boy can come with me and show me where his sister might go. I'll send Pal if I meet trouble" said Vorinia decisively.

Porrg nodded.

"You blaze the trail ye take, lady, we'll be back" he said "ye know the region better nor me t'be sure; wirra, but I wish this had not happened."

"If wishes were fishes the Holdless would feast" said Vorinia. "Boy! What is your name?"

"Mildorn, lady" said the boy respectfully.

"Well, Mildorn, are you feeling abkkt to come with me to search for your sister?" asked Vorinia.

The boy nodded.

"Runnere oon't go hardly where caprine can though" he said.

Vorinia regarded Lady Neatfoot thoughtfully.

"It's warm enough here in the lasture to leave her awhile I should think" she said "Lady Neatfoot doesn't wander."

She led the mare to the small flowery meadow where the bovines would normally graze.

oOoOo

The climb was stiff and Vorinia took it slowly. Mildorn regarded her anxiously.

"Be you not used to exercise, lady?" he asked.

"At the moment? Less than I'd like. I injured my back last turn" said Vorinia, shortly. "I'll manage; I'm not a delicate flower to pass out on you if that's what you were wondering. I'll just not manage with the vigour or dexterity of a mountain caprine I'm afraid."

Mildorn giggled.

"You be brave to climb with a bad back" he ventured.

"And you with burned hands" said Vorinia "We both want your sister to be safe – and that's more important."

"Ar" said Mildorn.

oOoOo

The larger patch of colour than could indicate a flower showed the bright skirt of the missing girl.

She lay, unconscious, at the bottom of a scree, one leg bent unnanturally beneath her. The missing caprine was less lucky; it had broken its neck.

"Hold her while I splint it" said Vorinia. Mildorn complied; and the girl roused enough to cry out in pain.

"She'll be fine" prophesied Vorinia at that sign of life.

The child was soaked through; and would probably suffer a fever, but a healthy youngster should pull through despite that, at this time of turn.

Vorinia sent Pal directly to Y'lara; and it was not long before the Green Rider was landing Tanath close to the scree.

"Best to take you back to the Hold too" said Y'lara, glancing at Vorinia's pale face.

"No…Porrg said they'd ride back and my mount's in the pasture" said Vorinia.

"Huh, I'll have Tanath back with you before the fellow gets into Northfork and send back people for your steed" said Y'lara "No arguments! Anyway, you can let him know that you're all right via your firelizard!"

"Oh of course!" Vorinia grinned "How silly of me!" quickly she gave Pal the idea of a Green dragon and safety and sent him to Porrg to relay the images!

It was a relief to be carried on Tanath with Mildorn riding in front of her and Milara gently cradled on a stretcher on the dragon's front feet. They went Straight because of the burns on Mildorn's hands.

Kaili was waiting.

"Lady Neatfoot….." murmured Vorinia, exhausted.

"Porrg's gone t' fetch her for sure" said Kaili "And Tragen wit' him t'try t'talk some sense into that fool cotholder and his wife."

"Can't even SPELL the word let alone see it" said Vorinia crossly; and passed out.

oOoOo

Tragen returned in a towering rage over the stupid stubbornness of some people. Being Tragen he took it out on nobody but the woodpile grew considerably.

The cotholder had even demanded that his oldest son return to him straight away, intimating that Tragen was trying to steal him!

Tragen had pointed out that not only was the boy in the care of the Healers, but that making any dependant Holdless right before Threadfall was a crime for which the cotholder's overlord – Tragen – could punish the transgressor. And it was moreover a clear case of child endangerment as Vorinia had already said.

"And perhaps I should have brought him in for punishment and imprisoned his stupid carcase through Fall before hearing the case" said Tragen grimly "But then I doubt he'd have been anything but truculent and a troublemaker thereafter. If he survives his son will return to him."

Tragen had also had a few things to say to the cotholder on the subject of leaving the girl Milara without making shift to search for her; and promised to fine the man heavily on the child's behalf and have her fostered elsewhere should her father survive.

oOoOo

Vorinia for one dreaded this Threadfall; but Tragen assigned her to a different sweep area than that outlying cot.

Later he broke the news to her.

"Dragonriders saw them; a Green Rider came down. The woman was dead, the man dying. They had crawled into the remains of their cot instead of having the sense to get in the river which might have saved them. Stupid to the last!"

"Those poor children!" said Vorinia, aghast.

"Aye; but it was no close loving family. To my way of thinking" said Tragen "He was a hard man, demanding his rights of his woman and not letting her use herbs to prevent a brat coming every turn. I've a foster father in mind for them; Lady T'lana's foster father. He'll be pleased of a good strong boy and a willing clever girl old enough to help and he has a woman about the place, a dragonman's lady, to help with the small ones" Tragen sighed "I'll let them get over the shock, and take some lessons too with Horovarn; they're that ignorant clever porcines could outdo them in lessons."

oOoOo

It was a tragedy; but it was a tragedy that could have been averted. But Tragen had no intention of bringing in the couple by force, even on the pretext of arrest for child endangerment. It would have come close to violating their rights since they had permitted the rescue of their children by others even if under some protest. And it would have led to trouble. Mildorn had heard his father refuse to come to shelter during Threadfall; he knew only one person was to blame.

Tragen regretted the death of the woman, so under the thumb of her husband she feared his wrath more than Thread!

The land was broken; a young couple could build there and start farming with relatively little trouble, for the children would have been the fourth generation on that site. And by rights the boy Mildorn ought to be the one to Hold but he was too young. Sending him to Sarel would give him a better chance in life and Tragen promised – and wrote a document to that effect – that there would be land waiting for him that was as good should he choose to return to Northfork, and that his birthright, or that of one of his siblings if he chose to pass it on.

Mildorn was glad to be away from the place it had all happened; and just hoped his new foster father would not be too harsh, especially on the dreamy Milara!

Sarel's kindness to the bereaved youngsters when they were taken to him astonished Mildorn! As for Milara, she was convinced that Sarel was the best man alive, just because he never whipped her for dreaming nor called her names like 'useless stupid wherrry' nor raised his voice and fist to her to hurry her with the chores!

If Mildorn mourned his parents at all, Milara certainly did not! And kind, gentle Tylisse taught them all the duty songs and helped with the reading Horovarn had begun and they were given the revelation that hearing and telling stories was not considered a waste of time – even by the dragonman who lived their with his deformed dragon! And for good behaviour they were rewarded in being permitted to help with Warneth rather than being punished harshly for transgressions.

Warneth and Sh'allen were invaluable to Sarel, and too had been experimenting with going _Between_ without being highly airborn. Warneth discovered that he could get almost a length up by sheer willpower and Sh'allen had postulated a theory that dragon flight was partly due to some sort of mental power, a bit like sensing thread or telepathy, since dragons were also well known to be able to lift any load they believed they could carry.

It may be said that Sarel was also delighted to have fosterlings. He was by no means past his prime, being of an age with Tragen, but having youngsters to help with his expanding stables was an asset. He fully intended to hire a girl to help with the younger ones rather than expecting Tylisse to do it; for Tylisse ran his cot as housekeeper and willingly found any itinerant workers he took on as well as rearing her own two daughters with Sh'allen, Shirlisse, now two turns old and baby Alisse, the survivor of twins born at the end of the past winter.

Fortunately, Sarel spoke to his foster daughter T'lana before doing anything about it, and found himself provided with a good, strapping woman in her early thirties whom he even knew slightly. Esmelda had been an itinerant worker travelling with her family until she had broken away from them to join Lady Petrilla – now P'rilla. Esmelda had been helping at the Weyr, caring for the newest babies brought into the childhold; but was willing to take on a ready made family of a dozen with farm duties into the bargain and the possibility of a nuptial agreement for security, as T'lana had firmly told Sarel.

Sarel was delighted. Esmelda was a good woman and despite her build was as gentle and sensitive as T'lana's own dead mother.

It was not, perhaps, love at first sight; but Sarel was much impressed by Esmelda and she was drawn to his gentle nature.

"And she won't take any fork-splat from anyone trying to push him around" gloated T'lana "She'll accept Sh'allen as Sarel's foster son – as he more or less is- and Tylisse therefore as a daughter of the house not a rival. Tylisse is tactful. It'll be fine!"

oOoOo

All this Vorinia found out second hand through D're when he next visited, gossiping, as Kaili said tartly, as only cotwives at market and dragonriders can do.

Vorinia was glad of the news; Mildorn, Milara and their siblings could do with some loving stability!

"She must be quite a woman, this Esmelda" she said to Jado "Taking on a dozen kids would daunt ME, I can tell you!"

"Just as well I've none of my own then" he retorted grinning.

"Oh, you! That would be different – if they were yours. I'd do my best, of course!"

"I know, love. As you do your best for Dorine, whose needs are greater than most babes her age."

"Yes; though it would be harder if she couldn't wash and dress herself" said Vorinia, who had been encouraging the little girl to re-learn such skills as dressing herself. "But I don't envy Esmelda!"

"On the other hand, didn't D're say all she ever wanted was babies of her own? She has a ready made family and will doubtless mother more!" said Jado "It's her choice; no-one made her take it."

Vorinia nodded.

"And I guess people rise to the occasion when they're needed" she said.

Jado kissed her.

"SOME people do, my beloved. SOME people do."

oOoOo

The summer flew; and at high summer there was another mating flight that was reported. There would be two hatchings in relatively quick succession; and Jado in age for both.

That was of some relief to Vorinia; it gave them two chances to Impress each.

Dorine seemed to have almost forgotten her time as a slave, and her strange looks, joining in with the other children, laughing and chatting like any six turn old. She had some nightmares still; but that was only to be expected.

As the first windy rainstorm of the early autumn heralded worse to come, though it was followed by a spell of hot weather, news came that Daenilth had clutched twenty nine eggs including a Golden Queen; and Tragen's candidates were required at the Weyr.

It had come at last!

Vorinia, Jado and a wildly excited Dorine were to go to the Weyr; which might yet prove their home for life!

And, D're told Vorinia, her friend Journeyman Josis had joined the weyr woodcrafters and would stand for Impression beside her friend.

Life was good.

**Fin**

_And you really will have to wait this time, sorry. Unless I post weekly to keep up with transcription..._


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